NORWALK/LA MIRADA : School Officials Sued Over Adult Soccer Ban

The organizer of a soccer league has accused Norwalk-La Mirada school officials of racism after they revoked a permit for his teams to play on the district’s athletic fields.

In a federal lawsuit filed last week against the district, North American Soccer Organization leader Manuel Cevallos said school officials violated his civil rights when they kicked a team of adult players off a field in August after a match at John Glenn High School in Norwalk.

The suit names board members Rudy Bermudez, William White, former board members Jesse M. Luera and Lupe Flores McClintock as well as former Supt. Robert Aguilar and Los Angeles County Sheriff Sherman Block.

Cevallos said the four board members were named because they actively lobbied to prevent adult soccer teams from playing on district fields.

School officials said Cevallos’ players were thrown off the field after they were seen littering, drinking alcohol, urinating and undressing in public. The board then banned all adult soccer matches.

Cevallos denied that his team was guilty of such activities. In his suit, which seeks $10 million in punitive damages, he says district administrators conspired with city officials to evict his teams because of racist attitudes toward Mexican Americans.

His teams continue to play in Gardena, Montebello and Dominguez Hills, he said.

School board President Bermudez called the accusations outrageous, adding that the majority of board members are Latinos. He said the district’s ban on soccer teams is aimed at protecting neighbors, who have complained for years that players undress and urinate in view of children and passing motorists.