Two Oklahoma soccer coaches accused of assaulting teen referee

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MIDWEST CITY, Okla. (KFOR) - Two youth soccer coaches have been suspended following an alleged assault on a teenage referee at an Oklahoma tournament.

The Oklahoma Soccer Association received a misconduct report after the incident allegedly occurred at the Turkey Shootout Tournament in Edmond on Sunday. Two teams of 11-year-olds were playing, one from Lawton and the other from Midwest City.

A video of the incident appears to show one of the Midwest City Soccer Club coaches shoving a teenage referee. The video was posted to the social media page “Offside” on Tuesday and has gotten thousands of views.

The creator of "Offside," Brian Barlow, says there's a referee shortage because of similar incidents.

“A lot of times that referee is a kid himself or herself and they're going to make mistakes. Listen I am a seasoned referee and every single game I make a mistake. The kids are definitely going to make a mistake,” said Barlow.

The Oklahoma Soccer Association has suspended both coaches until a disciplinary hearing can take place.

The Oklahoma Soccer Association sent the following statement to KFOR:


The Midwest City Soccer Club released this statement.