Paulista FA bans fans from youth games over abuse and violence | OneFootball

Lower category matches will have no audience in Paulista (Photo: Disclosure/SPFC)

MARCIO MONTEIRO

@avantmtricolor

Where is humanity going to get? An unbelievable measure had to be taken by the Paulista Football Federation (FPF), announced on Friday morning (29).

All matches of rounds 16 and 17 of the Paulista Under-11 and Under-12 Championship, on August 31 and September 7, will be held with closed doors to the public.

This Sunday (31), São Paulo under-11 and under-12 will take the field at Serra da Colina stadium, in matches against Votoraty, therefore, without the presence of fans.

The punishment, in an educational character, is a decision of the FPF on the recommendation of the TJD-SP (Court of Sports Justice of Paulista Football),due to the increasing number of cases of bad behavior by fans. The Federation informed the body about the seriousness and escalation of the occurrences and the Court recommended the measure.

So far, the Paulista Under-11 and Under-12, which started in June, recorded 46 occurrences in the stands. Throughout the competition last year there were 34 occurrences.The cases include offenses to children - such as crimes of racial insult and homophobia -, fights, threats and other acts of violence and hostility, mostly by parents and those responsible for the children.

Among some cases that occurred this year, there was a fan trying to enter the stadium armed, throwing liquids at ball boys, game stopped by throwing tennis shoes on the field, fight between fans that ended with a drunk woman falling in the stands and even a bomb explosion among the public, mostly relatives and acquaintances of the children.

"This is an educational measure, which reinforces our commitment to put the integrity and formation of children above any other interest. Football in this age group should be synonymous with learning, coexistence, fun and joy, and this is the standard of the stands that we will work to ensure. When fans' attitudes threaten this environment, we need to act. Parents, educators, leaders: we need to be and set an example for children", said Fábio Moraes, Executive Director of Competitions at FPF.

In December 2024, the FPF launched a special campaign aimed at the parents of the children who compete in the state youth championships.

In the campaign video, the FPF simulated the aggressive behavior of some parents of children in games of the infant categories of the Paulista Championship. In the piece, some parents are invited to read on a tablet phrases like “you can't get one right, you donkey!”, supposedly said to children by teachers in classrooms.

However, at the end of the video, they find out that these are phrases collected in youth category games, said by parents and relatives of children.

"Why can't it be in school and can be in football?", the campaign questions. The FPF uses the video in lectures, courses and events related to athlete training.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.