For youth soccer coach Vince Villanueva, guiding and teaching kids is something he loves to do. However, the outlook differs at some point, especially once guardians or parents intervene.
Villanueva, who was filling in for a friend at the Northern VA soccer club, ended up getting savagely beaten by a parent during a weekend scrimmage in Manassas, Virginia, NBC 4 Washington reported.
"I saw one of the players kind of off with his dad, and he looked upset, and I said, 'Are you ready to go back in?' The dad said, 'No, he's not OK. Can I talk to you?' and I said, 'Sure.'"
After that, Villanueva said that the father, later identified as Bletand Hoxha, started repeatedly assaulting him with a metal water bottle.
In the aftermath of that attack, the head coach of the girls' soccer team at Potomac Senior High School ended up with injuries to the face. This included two swollen black eyes and a fractured orbital, Fox 5 reported.
Villanueva added that he does not personally know Hoxha and only found out who he was after the heinous attack.
The harrowing experience has left Villanueva questioning his coaching future. With the escalation of violence towards coaches and game officials, he is now left reflecting on whether coaching is something worth continuing.
"Seeing the escalation of violence toward coaches and game officials and stuff like that within these sports - I'm still processing thinking about, is this something that I want to continue doing?" Villanueva said.
Additionally, Villanueva hopes his mishap will teach parents how to behave during youth sports events.
"My big thing is, just allow your kids to enjoy it," he said. "Let the volunteers and people that are out there trying to help your kids, allow them to do that too, and support them."
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