PETULANCE. Temper tantrums. Self-entitlement.
All of these negative traits were on display in a short video clip that has gone viral. Posted on X (formerly Twitter) by user @pengadilbola, it shows kids involved in an age-group football tournament with special focus on the player wearing the No. 4 yellow jersey.
In a show of extreme petulance, the child is seen shoving an opponent for having the temerity to score against his side. The fact that it was a peach of goal probably rubbed salt into No. 4’s wound.
The bad behaviour did not end there. Later in the game, No. 4 subjects an opponent to a crude and late tackle which left the player on the receiving end in a crumpled heap on the ground.
Tournarment bawah umur dah perangai mcm ni. Yang ref dah kenapa x bagi card merah, still bagi main. Yang coach still bagi main jugak walaupun player no 4️⃣ ni dari mula dah perangai mcm tu. pic.twitter.com/keiQMTcsPm
— Hal Ehwal Pengadil (HEP) (@pengadilbola) June 2, 2024
Believing he had done nothing wrong, No. 4 protested his innocence and to further highlight his sense of injustice, promptly burst into tears when the referee flashed the yellow card for his dangerous play.
This prompted the poster to question the wisdom of the man in black in not doling out stiffer punishment in the shape of a red card. The boy’s coaches were also grilled as to why a kid with such a temperament was even allowed to be on the field of play.
The clip has generated 1 million views at time of writing and elicited plenty of responses. Here is a sample.
Quite a few said such anti-social behaviour should not be excused nor tolerated simply because it involves children. They were reacting to a lady who could be heard in background saying, “it’s OK, it’s just children”.
More than a few netizens urged No. 4’s parents to take affirmative action to drum out these negative traits from their boy before it’s too late. One way could be to subject him to anger management therapy.
With another cautioning the boy to not take this attitude into adulthood.
Some wondered if No. 4’s sense of entitlement was the consequence of a case of ‘spare the rod, spoil the child’.
Quite a few lay the blame squarely at the parents’ door, suggesting that No. 4 is merely mimicking what he sees.
This being football, it is only to be expected that the referee comes in for some stick though it must be noted quite justifiably in this instance.
With some even suggesting something more “sinister” was at work.
Though this may sound quite judgmental given the perpetrator is a mere eight-year-old kiddo, there is no hiding the fact that the No. 4’s behaviour went beyond the pale in the video.
Instead of sugar-coating, sometimes calling a spade by its name is precisely what is needed. – June 4, 2024
Main image credit: Freepik
