Letter to the Editor: Soccer Team Displayed Lack of Sportsmanship

I was a spectator on Friday evening, April 27, at the Belleville Stadium for the U-13 Tenafly vs. Belleville girls’ soccer game.

Along with many Belleville spectators, I was thoroughly appalled at the behavior of the Tenafly team.  Many of us have seen numerous soccer games over the years and have never witnessed such disrespect displayed on the field.

For those of you who do not watch soccer, there is a common practice called “taking a knee.” Whenever a player is injured during the game, all the remaining players on the field go down on one knee as a sign of respect for the injured person. They stand when the injured person either resumes playing or is taken off the field.

The Tenafly team, apparently, were never taught to respect players on opposing teams. When the first Belleville player was injured, the girls from Tenafly ran off the field and huddled with their coach.  At the end of the huddle, they broke with a roaring battle cry.

The next two times a Belleville player was down, Tenafly girls ran into a huddle and again broke with a battle cry to spur their team.  

The Belleville Soccer Association leadership, coaches and all the players are to be commended for their good sportsmanship and manners. They are all respectful of players from all teams.

Bravo to all the teams from Belleville, their coaches and leadership for a job very well done!

Sincerely,

Cathy Walsh