Florida: a three-year-old footballer at the centre of a row after police were called

A three-year-old footballer, Nevada Pierre, has become a social media star after a youth game in Winter Park, Florida, on Saturday, 24 October, during which police were called. His parents say he was pushed out because he played too well; the league gives a different account.

The game was organised by i9 Sports, a children’s soccer league. In a video shared by the family, the father says police were called on a three-year-old “because he’s too good.” “They’re literally kicking him out of this place because he’s good at soccer,” the mother told officers, according to CBS News.

The league’s and police account

In body-camera footage, the league director describes the boy as “very good” and “really advanced,” but says he pushed other children and that the parents created “a big scene” arguing with other parents. In the 911 call, local station WKMG (ClickOrlando) reports, he said a parent was causing a disturbance, following him and calling him names. He offered the family a refund.

According to ESPN, i9 Sports says the police call “was not related to the child” but to a dispute between adults, and that the family received the refund it asked for. Winter Park police describe the matter as “civil and not criminal”: no one was arrested, trespassed or forced to leave the park, and the family cooperated. The family says it received a trespass notice from the league, which has not been independently verified, theGrio notes.

Support and a fundraiser

A GoFundMe launched by the mother had raised $20,858 by Tuesday, 27 October, according to TimesLIVE. Former US international Eddie Johnson announced that his Orlando academy would train the boy, ESPN reported. “They wanna dim his light,” he wrote on Instagram, according to IBTimes.

Children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel (Rachel Accurso) said she would love to have him on her show. “I’m LIVID! Please sports people give him all the experiences and love,” she wrote. The Haitian outlet sakpase.official says rapper 50 Cent and Brazilian forward Vinícius Júnior also shared his videos in their Instagram Stories; NAGO found no confirmation in the US press.

Haitian Instagram accounts, including facesofhaiti, present the father, Don Pierre, as Haitian-American, but the family has not confirmed this publicly and the US outlets reviewed do not mention it.