Police called after 3-year-old footballer dribbled past 5-year-olds and scored 10 goals in 12 minutes

Parents in Florida, United States, have said that police were called to their three-year-old son’s football match because he was playing “too well” for the opposition to handle.

In a now-viral video posted on Sunday, three-year-old Nevada Pierre is seen effortlessly dribbling past rival players and scoring goal after goal while his parents cheer from the sidelines.

The clip later cuts to Nevada standing on the sidelines, with his father explaining: “They called the police on a three-year-old because he was too good. Because he had the ball for too long, and nobody else could get the ball.”

The family, who have amassed a substantial following on TikTok and Instagram documenting Nevada’s footballing progress, claimed match officials repeatedly pulled him off the pitch during the 30-minute game after he scored. As a result, they said he was restricted to just 12 minutes of playing time, during which he still managed to score 10 goals.

The Winter Park Police Department confirmed that officers were dispatched to the youth match on Saturday. A league official dialled 911 at 9:53 am, reporting an “unruly parent here, calling me names and having me on Instagram” who was being “really disruptive, like following me around”.

According to the police incident report, the official informed officers that the parents were furious over their son’s restricted game time, whereas the parents maintained that their child “was being scorned for playing too well and was being taken out of the game”.

Police confirmed that the league had requested the family leave the premises and offered a full refund of their registration fees. Officers passed along the message upon arrival.

“The family stated the game was over and they were leaving,” the police statement read, adding that the family was cooperative and that no arrests, trespass warnings, or forced removals occurred.

Video footage shared by the parents shows Nevada’s mother, wearing pink, speaking calmly with two officers who explained that the league office would contact them regarding the refund.

Addressing the incident on Monday, the league operator, i9 Sports Maitland/Winter Park, released a statement confirming it was aware of the situation and taking it very seriously.

“We have reached out to the family and have begun a review that includes speaking with those involved,” the statement read. “The respectful treatment and well-being of every child and family matter deeply to us.”

Speaking on the radio show The Breakfast Club, Nevada’s mother, Martasia Griffin, claimed her son had been targeted all season because of his exceptional ability, adding that several parents complained during Saturday’s game that no other child could get a turn with the ball. She stated that the league director agreed the situation was unfair to the other children and offered a refund.

“I cannot explain to my three-year-old son that he cannot play today because he’s so good. I continued to let him play until the police walked in,” she said.

In a separate interview with HuffPost, Griffin revealed that Nevada had been left “traumatised” by the ordeal.

“He still wants to play football. He just doesn’t want to go back to that place. I don’t think that’s how he should be thinking—that as a three-year-old, he did something wrong,” she said.

“It’s heartbreaking because now Nevada’s saying he doesn’t wanna go over there. He’s scared that he did something wrong.”

The league has since fully refunded the family’s autumn season registration fee.

Nevada—who began dribbling a football at just 10 months old and trains for three hours a day with his father—has already received an offer to join an elite youth academy run by former US international footballer Eddie Johnson.

Writing on social media, Johnson confirmed the toddler would join his Orlando-based training programme in January.

“They wanna dim his light,” Johnson posted. “They thought they were taking your dreams away, but in reality, you are the most famous three-year-old in the world right now.”

More: HuffPost, CBC