Rabat - On Monday at the opening ceremony of the Gothia Cup in Sweden, the world’s largest youth football competition, a Moroccan team, led by their coach, sexually molested three 16-year-old girls, according to the New Arab.

Rabat – On Monday at the opening ceremony of the Gothia Cup in Sweden, the world’s largest youth football competition, a Moroccan team, led by their coach, sexually molested three 16-year-old girls, according to the New Arab.

The incident occurred when the Moroccan teenagers reportedly wanted to take pictures with the three sixteen-year-old girls outside Ullevi stadium in Gothenburg.

The teenagers surrounded the three teens, kissing and groping them. Not all the team members were involved, so the girls could not pinpoint the attackers.

A mother of one of the victims accused an adult man, allegedly the team manager, for shoving his tongue in her daughter’s mouth.

Police arrested the manager, 35, who denied the allegations and remained him in custody for further investigation. The tournament’s organizers disqualified the team from the competition.

Dennis Andersson, the Gothia Cup’s founder and Secretary General, described the incident as ‘’shocking’’ and completely regretted what the team members did.

Mr. Andersson pointed out that the Gothia Cup was developing a strategy to fight sexual assaults using the tournament. “I have already started thinking about the future. Gothia Cup should be at the forefront of the question of stopping stuff like this,’’ he said.

Edited by Timothy Filla