WINOOSKI, Vt. (AP) — Vermont educational officials will ban spectators from a high school boys soccer state semifinal this week, following alleged racist behavior and overly rough gameplay between two schools’ players earlier this year.
The Vermont Principals’ Association said in a statement Monday “this decision has been made to ensure the physical and emotional safety of all student-athletes involved.”
Winooski High School has said that during the first home game of the season, their players were targeted with racial slurs by Enosburg High School’s players and fans, The Burlington Free Press reported.
There’s also a separate investigation into Winooski players getting violent with Enosburg players during that Sept. 18 game, which ended in a 3-2 Winooski win.
In response to the alleged racial abuse during the game, Enosburg conducted an internal investigation but found no evidence of wrongdoing. However, the school said its report was incomplete without interviewing Winooski players, who declined to participate in the investigation.
Winooski’s school officials say they believe what their student-athletes reported about the racial abuse from Enosburg.
In the 80-minute match, Winooski players were handed three yellow cards and a red card. An Enosburg player also got a yellow card.
The Winooski player got the red card for head-butting an Enosburg player. A red card results in an immediate ejection from the game and a two-game suspension, and the player could face criminal charges, according to a report from Seven Days.
Winooski Athletics Director Sam Jackson has characterized the school as Vermont’s most diverse high school.
Tuesday’s state semifinal will be streamed on Facebook and Twitter, Winooski school officials said.
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