Former pros cause ruckus at youth games

• by Soccer America , Mar 24, 2009

[OFF THE POST] Within a week in England, former Celtic and Blackburn star Chris Sutton stormed onto the field of his son's U-14 game and swore at the ref, and former Scotland international Graeme Souness got profane at his son's U-10 game. Souness downplayed his behavior, but admitted he swore at a coach and told a "very unattractive woman" to shut up.

Souness, who was famous in his playing days for several injury-causing fouls, said that he went after the coach of his son's opponent after his 9-year-old son was the victim of foul play and the coach didn't pull the player off.

 

"I waited 90 seconds for the coach to take the lad off - but nothing happened," Souness told the Telegraph. " I said to him, 'What the **** are you teaching kids?'"

A witness, Jeff Goodwin, was quoted by the Irish Times as saying:

"This guy should know better. There were ladies in our group. He did say to them 'excuse me' but he told our coach, 'If you think this is the way to teach kids to play, you've no ****ing chance.' Our coach was speechless. It was out of order."

Souness, 55, who played for Liverpool and Glasgow Rangers, and coached Liverpool, and is now a TV commentator. He told the Scotsman, "I turned up 10 minutes late and was told by another parent that I'd missed a kid from the opposition being sent off because he'd lashed out at my son.

"So I had a laugh about that. Ten minutes later, another kid lashes out at my son, kicks him when he's got his back to him. So now the referee's ... looking for help from the coach of the other team, but it's not coming.

"I went over to the coach and I admit I swore. And when I saw there was a lady present I apologized to her."

The county administration manager for the Cheshire FA the incident will be investigated as soon as a report is filed.

After apologizing, Souness said he "turned and walked away and some very unattractive woman said to me, 'Get off the pitch'. So I said, 'Why don't you shut up then?' and that was the extent of me being rude."