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The Irvine Police Department is investigating a brawl that broke out between two soccer teams that brought spectators, parents and family members onto the field and into the melee over the weekend.
The Saturday night, Oct. 21, fight at Great Park in Irvine reportedly came at the end of the game between Club Garrafones from South Los Angeles and Irvine Zeta FC II, both of whom are a part of the professional development United Premier Soccer League.
Bryan Wallace, head coach of Irvine Zeta, believes his lower-ranked and younger team’s upset victory over the undefeated Club Garrafones is what sparked tempers and led to a dispute between two players that turned into an out-and-out fight that cleared the bleachers.
“One of their players came up and punched my player, and that started the entire thing. Their team and their parents and a bunch of guys on their bench just started attacking,” Wallace told The Los Angeles Times. “One of their coaches attacked the goalkeeper. One of the other coaches attacked and kicked a parent. That to me is mind-blowing. We are supposed to set an example of how to act.”
The head coach told the Times that one of his 17-year-old players suffered a broken nose, that another player’s father took a kick to the head, one teammate chipped a tooth and others had busted lips.
Police responded to the soccer field, assisted those who were injured and began an investigation, according to the Irvine PD.
United Premier Soccer League, which includes 400 clubs, launched an investigation into the fight and by late Monday had kicked Club Garrafones out of the league, The Times reported.
The expulsion includes a lifetime ban for the club and its coaching staff, with all their remaining games declared a forfeit, the league said in a statement.
Coach and owner of Club Garrafones Roger Navarro told The Times that he knows video of the brawl makes his team look bad and he disputes Wallace’s description of the fight. He said his team, comprised primarily of Latinos from low-income backgrounds, were defending themselves after a Garrafones player fouled a Zeta FC II player, who then attempted to retaliate.
“Everything looks bad on our side. I know we look bad. But it wasn’t like they say it was,” Navarro told The Times, adding that he and his player feel their expulsion from the league was a rush to judgment.
In a statement released by Irvine Zeta FC II, team officials said they were “deeply disturbed by the unfortunate incident” and that their team, players and fans were “subjected to an attack by a group of adults.”
“We also want to express our support for the decision made by the league (UPSL) to ban the aggressors involved in this incident permanently,” the statement reads.
As for Navarro, he told The Times that the fight and the expulsion from the league “were setbacks for him and his team,” who are unlike other, wealthier soccer clubs where parents are willing to shell out hundreds of dollars so the team can travel and play away games.
Authorities said that the brawl is still under investigation and that anyone with information about the incident, videos or photos is urged to contact the Irvine Police Department at 949-724-7104.
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