Opinion | Racist taunts tarnish ‘jogo bonito’ for area soccer teams

I was introduced to soccer about 45 years ago, not as a kid learning the “jogo bonito” nor following the great careers of Pelé and Hugo Sánchez.

Rather, the first soccer match I ever witnessed was one I was assigned to cover for The Fresno Bee at McLane High School stadium. Until then, I didn’t understand corner kicks, offsides nor direct kicks.

I knew enough to rely on legendary Roosevelt High School soccer coach Vincent Lavery for quotes and his observation of the match for the story.

Fast forward to the present – and after having covered World Cup, CONCACAF Gold Cup and several international friendly matches – where I focused on local high school playoff games.

There were a dozen playoff games – seven girls’ and five boys’ matches – between Feb. 18 and March 1. Plus, there were four more matches heading into the playoffs.

For this column, I wanted to write about how an Argentine import almost single-handed powered the McLane High boys to a Division IV semifinal win on the road at Selma.

Or how Buchanan High senior Ciara Wilson got no rest in playing 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime in a hard-fought 2-1 win over TRAC rival Clovis North for the CIF Central Section section title.

Or how Kerman High senior Isabella Cruz dominated in a 6-0 Division III first-round victory against Reedley. Her 47 goals on the season are no fluke.

Or how Reedley High senior Levy Alcántar converted a penalty kick while remembering his father who died last year to help his team claim the Division I crown with a 1-0 win over Sanger High. This was a No. 8 seed defeating a No. 2 seed.

Or how so many teams are fortunate to be led by smart, knowledgeable and driven coaches like Michael Jordan at Farmersville High, Alex Gutiérrez at Sanger, Rubén Cardona at Kerman girls and Raúl Arámbula at Kerman boys. Plus, Tony Godoy at Lindsay and Jasara Gillette at Buchanan girls.

Instead, we’ll discuss racial taunting that marred NorCal regional matches for the Sanger boys and the Buchanan girls, the latter one in the Division I championship match.

Monkey/ape and dog-barking noises when Buchanan Black and an Asian Latina players lined up for their penalty kicks at eventual champion Oak Ridge High.

Racial insults – “Learn English, you’re in America” and taunts of “burritos” and “Juan” – during Sanger’s Division I opening-round game at De La Salle.

Horrific!

Inexcusable!

Shameful!

“These girls from Buchanan got a moment stolen from them,” said B95 radio host Chris ‘CK’ Hall during a 2-hour Twitter discussion on Tuesday (March 8) evening. “That is going to be affecting them for as long as they continue to play the game of soccer.”

“It’s embarrassing. I mean it’s unbearable. I’m sick to my stomach just hearing everything that happened to the girls,” piped in Ben Orozco, who organizes high school all-star soccer matches in the summer.

Gillette, the Buchanan girls’ coach, disputed a statement put out by Oak Ridge saying the school took immediate action and that its girls’ team felt the championship win was hollow. (The school on Wednesday said it had found out the student who made those noises and had disciplined him).

“I can tell you their girls were celebrating like that was not a hollow win,” said Gillette, who added that Oak Ridge players were tagging the Buchanan girls in social media about their celebration.

Even a junior player turned to her upon hearing the noises and said, “That was racist, coach!”

“Adults did not make the right decisions,” said Gillette.

José ‘Gonzo’ González, a referee who has worked many Division I championships, said the Buchanan-Oak Ridge officials followed “no common sense.”

He said the match should have been stopped and the heckler(s) ejected from the stands, or abandon the match “because the other team can no longer handle what is happening.”

Unlike the Buchanan match, there was little video evidence to support Sanger supporters who reported racist remarks leveled at them. De La Salle, which is based in Concord, released a statement on Tuesday that it found no evidence of wrongdoing by fans or school workers in the press box.

“It’s really disheartening and disappointing,” said Gutiérrez, the Sanger boys coach about the De La Salle investigation. “I’m a little defeated.”

We all are.

Here’s hoping the CIF gets it right and comes down with a decision that is right.

In the meantime, it was great to see the Central Valley soccer community rally behind the Buchanan girls and Sanger boys. There’s a drawing circulating on social media showing that support.

Esta historia fue publicada originalmente el 11 de marzo de 2022, 11:38 a. m..