Days after a provincial youth soccer championship match on Vancouver Island, questions remain about a controversial decision to disqualify two top teams from the game.
B.C. Soccer held a disciplinary hearing the night before Sunday’s A-Cup finals in Nanaimo, ultimately suspending Okanagan FC and Saanich Fusion for one match each, effective immediately.
The suspensions stemmed from another game between the same two U17 boys teams on Saturday, when each squad had already secured a spot to face one another for the title.
Video posted on social media—which has since been deleted—appeared to show players killing time on the field.
“They were standing for 90 minutes, kicking the ball around,” said one spectator, who did not want to be identified. “It wasn’t good sportsmanship.”
The witness could not confirm an unverified social media claim that some players also ate sandwiches on the pitch.
B.C. Soccer told CTV News the teams in third and fourth place advanced to the championship game instead, but declined to comment on Saturday’s incident.
Parents of the affected players would not speak on the record either, but expressed frustration over what happened—insisting the teams followed the instructions of the referee and met the requirements of B.C. Soccer, including to have seven players on the field at all times.
Andrew Stevenson, technical director of Okanagan FC, said both squads decided to “save their energy” for the finals given there was “no incentive to compete.”
“The referee initiated kick off, half time and full-time,” Stevenson said in an email. “The referee confirmed that both teams respected his instructions throughout the match and conformed to the laws of the game.”
He acknowledged the team’s conduct fell short of the club’s standards, however.
Okanagan FC also addressed the incident in a social media statement Tuesday, calling it a “profound learning moment for our young athletes, who have otherwise represented the club in an outstanding way across a number of years.”
“As an organization committed to upholding the values of sport, we view the team’s actions as unacceptable,” it said.
“We wish to state clearly that Okanagan FC fully accepts the decision rendered by B.C. Soccer.”
The team congratulated the provincial champions, ICSF Roma, on their victory as well.
Saturday’s match ended with a score of 1-1. The spectator who spoke with CTV News said it was the goalies from each team who scored on one another.
The witness said it was unfortunate the teams were punished so harshly for not competing in the match, particularly as it appeared “not all the kids wanted to do that.”
“It’s really not their fault,” the spectator suggested. “They can’t go completely against the coaches. What the coach says, you do.”
CTV News has reached out to Saanich Fusion for comment on the incident. This story will be updated if a response is received.
