A Spanish youth coach is sacked after his team wins 25-0!!

A Spanish youth coach is sacked after his team wins 25-0


15 Jun 2017


The coach of a Spanish youth team has been sacked after a 25-0 win - because the club's management decided the margin of victory went against the spirit of the game.

After defeating fellow Valencia side Benicalap C on 3 June, Serranos B's under-11 manager was removed from his position.

"We believe in encouraging respect for your opponents. After the result, we decided that the manager should leave," Pablo Alcaide, who helps run the side, told El Pais.

However, the Spanish newspaper also published comments from the manager's lawyer, who insisted his client had not pushed players to score as many as they could.

The manager instead instructed his side "to pressure only in their own half" in the eight-a-side game, but Benicalap C "continued to attack and left spaces in behind", the lawyer said.

The game was Benicalap C's final match of the season. They finished bottom of the league with zero points and 247 goals conceded from their 30 matches.

El Pais reports that such one-sided scores are not infrequent in Spanish youth football, but many clubs stop counting once they have scored more than 10 goals.

The English FA's latest guidance to youth coaches, published in 2012, is designed to "challenge the win-at-all-costs mentality that is stifling development and enjoyment for young people".

I agree with this totally. You can win 5 nil and get something out of the game. 25 nil, what has anyone learnt or improved?!

As a teacher and football coach. My absolute pet hate is when you come up against a team a million times better than you. And the ref (often the opposition's teacher) just let's em bang it in. When we're hosting and we're on top. I introduce conditions: 5 passes before scoring; Everyone must touch the ball; best player cant score; must be a header; etc. You get the gist. It's not hard.

Firstly it improves my players skills.

But most importantly to me. Their team don't lose interest! Nothing worse than a bus trip back to school with a bunch of disheartened boys.

We don't want them to lose their love of the beautiful GAME!

I agree with this totally. You can win 5 nil and get something out of the game. 25 nil, what has anyone learnt or improved?!

As a teacher and football coach. My absolute pet hate is when you come up against a team a million times better than you. And the ref (often the opposition's teacher) just let's em bang it in. When we're hosting and we're on top. I introduce conditions: 5 passes before scoring; Everyone must touch the ball; best player cant score; must be a header; etc. You get the gist. It's not hard.

Firstly it improves my players skills.

But most importantly to me. Their team don't lose interest! Nothing worse than a bus trip back to school with a bunch of disheartened boys.

We don't want them to lose their love of the beautiful GAME!

Tough 1, but if I was playing against a team who were playing under conditions like you said then I would feel like I was having the piss taken out of me.

Looking at the teams goals conceded they were on the wrong end of a few hammerings.

I agree with this totally. You can win 5 nil and get something out of the game. 25 nil, what has anyone learnt or improved?!

As a teacher and football coach. My absolute pet hate is when you come up against a team a million times better than you. And the ref (often the opposition's teacher) just let's em bang it in. When we're hosting and we're on top. I introduce conditions: 5 passes before scoring; Everyone must touch the ball; best player cant score; must be a header; etc. You get the gist. It's not hard.

Firstly it improves my players skills.

But most importantly to me. Their team don't lose interest! Nothing worse than a bus trip back to school with a bunch of disheartened boys.

We don't want them to lose their love of the beautiful GAME!

Spot on Jimmy.

I went to a small school and we only just managed to raise a rugby team across the seniors. instead of the school putting us up against similar schools we had to ply the larger schools who could raise like 6 teams from their senior year. We stood no chance and all the games against them we were 40 points down within the first 15 minutes.

My school was not liked within the Vale of Glamorgan so those big schools just kept on scoring. Even today I find the high defeat we conceded embarrassing. Anyway another school from Penarth that was the same size as my school played one of my local comprehensives and like us they were 40 points down after 15 minutes. I knew the PT teacher from this school and he went and changed the whole team at HT bringing in kids who were a couple of years below the senior level. the result in the second half was more respectable for the smaller school.

This all got back to me as I lived in the same village as most of the larger school kids. I also knew where their PT teacher hun around outside school so one Saturday I appraoched him and ask why he changed things around against the other school and not my school. He said gleefully he enjoyed watching me get hammered and trust me I came out of that game black and blue. A few years later when my school days were past me, was on my way to a career and a lot bigger I saw him drinking a cup of coffee in dan evan in Barry with the girls school teacher, both obviously retired by then. I deliberately went and sat on their table with the intentions to see if he was cocky about it now. Cocky was not the word I would describe his reaction. He recalled every single tackle against me as if I was up against Hercules. His smile got wider and wider as he went through every single one. By the time he had finished i had obviously made an impression on him for the wrong reasons in my mind and had made his day. He even got a smile from the girls PT. I just drank my coffee and left without saying a word. My mate I was with could not stop laughing how I was owned by a retired teacher. Soetimes in life you need to try nd forget and move on.

I agree with this totally. You can win 5 nil and get something out of the game. 25 nil, what has anyone learnt or improved?!

As a teacher and football coach. My absolute pet hate is when you come up against a team a million times better than you. And the ref (often the opposition's teacher) just let's em bang it in. When we're hosting and we're on top. I introduce conditions: 5 passes before scoring; Everyone must touch the ball; best player cant score; must be a header; etc. You get the gist. It's not hard.

Firstly it improves my players skills.

But most importantly to me. Their team don't lose interest! Nothing worse than a bus trip back to school with a bunch of disheartened boys.

We don't want them to lose their love of the beautiful GAME!

Tough 1, but if I was playing against a team who were playing under conditions like you said then I would feel like I was having the piss taken out of me.

Looking at the teams goals conceded they were on the wrong end of a few hammerings.

No. You make the conditions as such that it's not a piss take.

Is passing the ball rather than your best player running through everyone a bad thing? No. It's coaching them to be better. One day they will play better teams and be required to pass.

Your weaker player may get the one chance in the game at goal. How will he reacts if he's never scored before?

Crossing the ball and playing through the wings, even lads sticking to their position in the wings is a hard thing to learn at a young age. Let alone banging in a header!

All conditions that aren't so much taking the piss. Making it a more competitive game whilst improving my team's skills levels.

At a young age it's the score that matters to them. They won't remember the fact the other team had to pass 5 times before shooting. But they'll definitely remember getting spanked 25 nil!

I agree with this totally. You can win 5 nil and get something out of the game. 25 nil, what has anyone learnt or improved?!

As a teacher and football coach. My absolute pet hate is when you come up against a team a million times better than you. And the ref (often the opposition's teacher) just let's em bang it in. When we're hosting and we're on top. I introduce conditions: 5 passes before scoring; Everyone must touch the ball; best player cant score; must be a header; etc. You get the gist. It's not hard.

Firstly it improves my players skills.

But most importantly to me. Their team don't lose interest! Nothing worse than a bus trip back to school with a bunch of disheartened boys.

We don't want them to lose their love of the beautiful GAME!

kids are resiliant mate and ALL far brighter than you teacher guys give them credit for...your taking the piss football instead of playing properly does more harm than good.
the minute you impose these RESTRICTIONS your also showing the opposition players zero respect.
and i doubt very much your own players are thrilled either..
all youve achieved is the bus journey home instead of being how good were they or how poor are we is now what a horrible bunch of arrogant twats.

I agree with this totally. You can win 5 nil and get something out of the game. 25 nil, what has anyone learnt or improved?!

As a teacher and football coach. My absolute pet hate is when you come up against a team a million times better than you. And the ref (often the opposition's teacher) just let's em bang it in. When we're hosting and we're on top. I introduce conditions: 5 passes before scoring; Everyone must touch the ball; best player cant score; must be a header; etc. You get the gist. It's not hard.

Firstly it improves my players skills.

But most importantly to me. Their team don't lose interest! Nothing worse than a bus trip back to school with a bunch of disheartened boys.

We don't want them to lose their love of the beautiful GAME!

kids are resiliant mate and ALL far brighter than you teacher guys give them credit for...your taking the piss football instead of playing properly does more harm than good.
the minute you impose these RESTRICTIONS your also showing the opposition players zero respect.
and i doubt very much your own players are thrilled either..
all youve achieved is the bus journey home instead of being how good were they or how poor are we is now what a horrible bunch of arrogant twats.

Your reply shows you don't coach kids. Or if you do you fall in the let's hammer 25 nil category.

Having plenty of my kids playing in North West academies proves otherwise. I'll agree to disagree.

And regards to playing 'properly'what is that? My best player running through 5 players and banging in 24 of the 25 goals? I'm talking kids aged 7-11. You know what they're like at that age?

Restrictions of having to pass 5 times before shooting are hardly taking the piss. And the opposition probably not even aware of it.

Arguably, passing the ball, crossing the ball, playing a weaker player in a new position is making the team better. This to me is' playing properly'

This happens most weeks in Spain and Gibraltar but I know Gibraltar stop at 9 - 0 - they won't publish anymore goals after then.

Interesting debate on conditions - some I agree with some I don't but for me you have to let the game flow naturally so if you start putting every player must touch the ball or five passes then against a side like this you will still score goals. Also if your telling your best player not to score what happens when he has an open goal are you expecting him to miss ?

For me I would bring up feeder players from the year below and introduce them to a higher level or I would play players out of position. That way then you still more natural football without the other team realising you are taking the piss

I agree with this totally. You can win 5 nil and get something out of the game. 25 nil, what has anyone learnt or improved?!

As a teacher and football coach. My absolute pet hate is when you come up against a team a million times better than you. And the ref (often the opposition's teacher) just let's em bang it in. When we're hosting and we're on top. I introduce conditions: 5 passes before scoring; Everyone must touch the ball; best player cant score; must be a header; etc. You get the gist. It's not hard.

Firstly it improves my players skills.

But most importantly to me. Their team don't lose interest! Nothing worse than a bus trip back to school with a bunch of disheartened boys.

We don't want them to lose their love of the beautiful GAME!

kids are resiliant mate and ALL far brighter than you teacher guys give them credit for...your taking the piss football instead of playing properly does more harm than good.
the minute you impose these RESTRICTIONS your also showing the opposition players zero respect.
and i doubt very much your own players are thrilled either..
all youve achieved is the bus journey home instead of being how good were they or how poor are we is now what a horrible bunch of arrogant twats.

Your reply shows you don't coach kids. Or if you do you fall in the let's hammer 25 nil category.

Having plenty of my kids playing in North West academies proves otherwise. I'll agree to disagree.

proves nothing other than your lucky to have good footballers in your school. and that you think that its all down your coaching and not their ability that has progressed them.
and no i dont like 25 goal scorelines but like your alternative stop the better players from scoring etc even less {ever thought that attacking players develope skills that they initially try out against weaker players }..children are not easily conned either mate..if you believe {MY KIDS} dont walk home saying it could have been 20 and the team youve beaten dont now feel even more embarrassed your kidding yourself.
next time you play a team much weaker than yourselves try rotating your squad and not playing MY KIDS..or maybe take some not so good players as subs. it maintains the integrity of the game and both teams players.

Like I say we'll agree to disagree.

Suppose that's what makes sport great. Opinions.