8-year-old girl’s soccer team disqualified because she ‘looks like a boy’
An eight-year-old girl and her soccer team have been disqualified from competing because she “looks like a boy”.
Mili Hernandez, a young girl from Omaha in Nebraska, was preparing to compete in a local girls tournament with her team.
However, organisers of the Springfield Soccer Club girls tournament have since told Mili and her team that they cannot compete because they believe that she is male.
Mili, who is biologically female and identifies as female, has been playing soccer competitively since she was permitted to join the 11-year-old roster.
She has explained that she believed the tournament thinks she is a boy largely because of her short hair.
“When my hair starts to grow I put it short because I’ve always had short hair.
“I didn’t like my hair long,” she said.
The eight-year-old, who helped her team reach the finals before being disqualified prior to the final match, added that they tried to prove her gender.
Her family provided her insurance card details, but it still was not enough for the tournament organisers.
“Just because I look like a boy doesn’t mean I am a boy,” she explained.
“They don’t have a reason to kick the whole club out.”
The girl’s brother added that Mili was distraught over the decision.
“They didn’t want to listen. They said the president made his decision and there wasn’t changing that,” he said.
Her father added: “She was crying after they told us. They made her cry.”
Organisers of the tournament have refused to comment on the incident but said that it can be appealed to the Nebraska State Soccer Organisation.
Mili and her family have pledged to challenge the decision.
