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Spanish Youth Football Coach Fired Because Team Was Too Good

A youth football coach in Spain was fired after his side won by more than 20 goals.
Illustration Via Wikimedia Commons

This article originally appeared on VICE Sports.

Never let anyone tell you sports are a meritocracy. A youth football coach in Spain is out of a job because his team performed so well that club management felt it was in poor taste. A couple weeks ago, Serranos B's under-11 club soundly defeated Benicalap C by such a ridiculous margin that team executives decided to fire the coach because they "believe in encouraging respect for your opponents". Executives felt the coach did not share their point of view.

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The implication was that the coach instructed his players to go out for blood, but according to his lawyer, Benicalap C just stunk:

The coach's lawyer, Daniel Revenga, defends his client: "In no case encouraged his players to try to extend the score. On the contrary, he told them to stop pressing in the opposite field. But the Benicalap C, which had no changes, continued to attack and left too many spaces, "he claims.

You know how it goes, you get down by double-digit goals and you have to start taking some chances.

Benicalap C, it should be noted, does actually stink. Sure they are ten- and 11-year-olds, but they finished bottom of the league, with zero points and 247 goals conceded.

On that day, Serranos B beat Benicalap C, 25-0.