A Spanish youth league coach has been dismissed after his team humiliated an opponent by winning a game 25-0.
CD Serranos thrashed the Benicalap C side during a regional league encounter earlier this month in Valencia that involved 10- and 11-year-old children.
The coach, who has not been named, was shown the door after the game "for not managing the situation correctly" and CD Serranos youth coordinator Pablo Alcaide defended the club's decision.
"We are talking about children who are in primary [education] and what we prioritise above the result are certain values," Alcaide is quoted as saying by Marca. "We try to transmit empathy and respect for rivals.
"That is why he should have had more respect for our opponents and controlled the score a little bit because in the end an 11-year-old cannot go home with 25 goals against, that's very tough."
Daniel Revenga, the coach's lawyer, believes an injustice has been done.
"At no time did he encourage his players to extend their lead," he is quoted as saying by El Pais. "On the contrary, he told them to stop pressing in their rival's half. But Benicalap C, who could not make further changes, continued to attack and left too many open spaces."
Benicalap C ended the season without any points and having conceded 247 goals.
Several Spanish clubs opt not to publish the results of youth league games if the scoreline goes beyond double figures.
"If there is a lot of difference, from 10 goals onwards, we stop putting the result on the scoreboard although it comes out in the referee's report," a Barcelona club spokesman told El Pais.
Betis' youth teams do not celebrate goals once they reach double figures, according to a youth club member, who told El Pais: "We score, we turn around and we go back to the centre for kickoff. You have to respect a rival, not humiliate."
However, not everyone agrees.
"You show respect to your opponent when you play at the top of your game until the final whistle," Espanyol's youth football coordinator said.
Villarreal youth director Raul Herrera agrees, adding: "It's equally disrespectful to win 25-0 just as it is to showboat and throw the ball out."
A Barcelona FC source said: "You can't tell players not to score. Competing is part of training. We shouldn't send out the wrong message. But what we do is we test players in different positions so that the result isn't too big."
CD Serranos also have a strategy in these cases, however, they did not put it into effect on June 3 against Benicalap C.
"We take measures when dealing with these situations," Alcaide said. "We tell players they need to take 11 or 12 consecutive passes before they can take a shot on goal."