An amateur football club has been fined £3,000 after a boy was substituted during a summer tournament.

Winnersh Rangers were sued by the family of the boy, 10, who claimed he was the victim of ’emotional abuse’.

They took the case to court in Reading, Berkshire, and were successful.

A boy was substituted so his parents sued and accused the football club of racism (Picture: Getty)

The club’s directors said they knew nothing about it until they received a letter informing them of the fine issued at the county court.


The boy was substituted during a pre-season tournament in 2018 while playing for the Aztec youth side.

Despite the substitution he was signed up for training for the new season by his dad, but was suddenly removed in September and the family got a refund.



His dad accused the club of racially targeting the boy and reported them to the council’s child protection department as well as taking them to court.

Club Secretary Phil Chick said they were ‘disappointed’ to lose the player, and conducted two investigations alongside Berkshire FA, who cleared the club of any offences.

Mr Chick, who is also a manager of an Under 10s football team at the club, said: ‘The most important thing for us as a club is the children, we want them to enjoy playing football. If they are a good player that is purely a bonus for us.

He added: ‘Substitutions are just a part of the game and the manager wanted to give everyone a fair chance and even playing time.’

Mr Chick said he couldn’t believe the club had been fined, but they will appeal.

He added: ‘Losing thousands of pounds is a big hit for a local club like ours. I’m confident we can challenge the ruling in court and get our money back.

‘So far we haven’t seen any documentation so we don’t know the full facts of the allegations. All we know is that the parent has accused the club of emotional abuse and racism against his son.

‘It’s a shame because it feels like the child has been forgotten in all of this, he can no longer play football for his local team because of this.’

The club will challenge the ruling at Reading County Court on May 2.

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