When Mili Hernandez was delighted to be playing in the finals of the Springfield Soccer Club Cup at the weekend. Despite being only 8, Mili was so good at the game she was playing on the under-11’s roster, representing the Omaha Azzuri Cachorros girl’s team.
However she never got a chance to get on the field – because her team was suddenly disqualified. It was because, they were told, they had a boy on their team
Speaking to WOWT 6 News, Mili’s father, Gerardo, said he was shocked.
‘She was crying after they told us… They made her cry.’
Despite showing the competition organiser Mili’s paperwork, proving she had a right to play in the tournament, she was still refused.
Mili says it’s just not fair: ‘Just because I look like a boy doesn’t mean I am a boy. They don’t have a reason to kick the whole club out.’
When WOWT 6 News attempted to contact the club for clarification, they were directed to contact the station’s legal team, and Mili’s family were told to take it up with Nebraska State Soccer Association.
The decision prompted outrage from soccer fans and family around the world, most notably perhaps inspiring a personal message from Abby Wambach – a star player of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team:
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