Sideline coach pushes 7-year-old to 'save' a goal
A video showing a man pushing a young soccer player on top of a soccer ball in an attempt to stop an opposing team from scoring a goal has everyone on the internet confused.
Parents of young sports enthusiasts often find themselves standing off to the side of the pitch, cheering and encouraging their children loudly. Occasionally, a handful of parents will get so invested in the game that they will appoint themselves assistant coaches.
These sideline coaches can be found walking up and down the pitch screaming at the referee about missed calls and demanding that their children get more time on the pitch. Or, in the case of this father, they can be found physically pushing their children into the position they think is best for scoring - or blocking - goals.
All a good parent can do is put their kid in a position to succeed. They’ve got to do the rest themselves. https://t.co/ri6CUAtA8P
— Keith Arnold (@KeithArnold) November 9, 2018
Somewhere in Wales, two teams of 8-year-olds were playing a football match. When the opposing team got closer to the goal and was going to attempt to score, one man noticed that the goalkeeper was distracted. Thinking on his feet, he pushed the boy over causing him to land flat between the goal posts. Not quite a World Cup-level goalkeeping dive, but it did manage to keep the ball from hitting the back of the net.
As the boy tries to regain his composure, the opposing team's striker takes another shot at the goal, and this time it lands right inside the posts. The man who had pushed the boy over walks away, disappointed.
Was the man trying to put the young boy in the best position to succeed, or did he push him out of his own selfish desire to win the match?
Image: Chris Wilkins