Tamasite president urges an end to reprisals against boy who assaulted another footballer

CD Tamasite Vachuelo president Felipe Marrero has called for an end to violence in grassroots football in Fuerteventura after one of his club’s players assaulted an opponent during a match.

Footage of the player kicking his opponent in the chest went viral. It attracted even more attention at a time when the tragic death of Tenerife player Jesús de Miguel, who was struck in the chest by the opposing goalkeeper, showed the world the darkest side of what is often called the beautiful game.

Marrero has strongly condemned what happened, but urged people not to respond with reprisals against the boy or publicly single him out in a way that could harm his future. “We can’t crucify him either, because we’re not the right people to condemn a minor,” he said. Marrero believes the player, who has been at the club for only a few months, should face the consequences of his actions and receive an educational response that helps him change his behaviour.

In an interview with La Voz de Fuerteventura, the president said he learned of the incident after a board member from the opposing team contacted him to say that the player himself had posted footage of the assault on his Instagram profile.

Tamasite then issued a statement condemning the incident and imposed internal disciplinary measures. These included requiring the player to remove the video immediately and apologise to the player he had assaulted, as well as temporarily excluding him from the team’s matchday squads.

“He says he’s already called him and apologised,” Marrero said, adding his own apology to the player who was assaulted and his family.

Marrero said the player is also awaiting a football federation suspension of around seven or eight matches, although the competition committee has yet to issue its final decision.

On the complaint reportedly filed by the assaulted player’s family, the Tamasite president said he respected their decision and acknowledged the seriousness of the incident. “If that’s what they’ve decided—the board member and the mother—then they should go ahead, because the action was clearly out of the ordinary,” he said.

“That boy can change”

Felipe Marrero does not believe permanently expelling the player from the club is the right way to resolve the situation. He said those who work with the boy regularly had not observed a pattern of violent behaviour.

“He isn’t an aggressive child, because if he were aggressive, we’d see it in training,” he said.

The club president stressed that grassroots football clubs have a responsibility beyond sporting results: they should help educate young people, teach them to respect the rules and help them face the consequences of their mistakes.

During the interview, Marrero disclosed that the Tamasite player had himself been physically assaulted at his school.

“I was told last week that the boy was assaulted in class on Friday by another boy,” the president said, adding that he had been told the minor was hit several times.

Marrero fears that the player’s public exposure—with his face shown despite his being a minor—and the controversy could fuel further confrontations.

Social media challenges and aggressive behaviour in the stands

Marrero warned of tensions at some grassroots football matches, particularly in the cadet and youth age groups, when tempers can run high.

The coach also expressed concern about the role social media is playing in conflicts between young footballers, especially in the cadet and youth age groups.

He said he had heard of players from different teams challenging one another online and even proposing physical confrontations after matches.

The Tamasite president warned that such behaviour increases tensions on and off the pitch, and called for families to take a greater role in preventing further violence.

Tamasite: “We don’t want to bankrupt the board members”

In the interview, Felipe Marrero also discussed CD Tamasite’s financial situation. The club is still waiting to receive municipal grants relating to previous seasons.

He said Tuineje Town Council owes the club just over €6,000 for the 2023-2024 season, despite the club having justified the grant on two occasions. He said the debt was expected to be settled shortly. However, there has been no news about grants and subsidies for subsequent years.

“We’re in a pretty bad way. It’s true that we say we’re a non-profit club, but we don’t want to bankrupt the board members either,” he said.

The president confirmed that board members are contributing money from their own pockets to keep the sporting activities going, on top of the difficulties caused by problems with the facilities.

Marrero appealed to public authorities and private companies to help ensure the club can continue, particularly given its social role in making sport accessible to children from less well-off families.

“The aim is to educate children, help them grow as people, and ensure that one day they’ll be part of our society,” he concluded.