Group Lifts Ban on Dad Accused in Soccer Brawl

The national American Youth Soccer Organization on Monday lifted a lifetime ban on a parent accused of taking part in a brawl during a boys’ soccer tournament in Orange County, and reduced its discipline against two coaches.

An investigation by an AYSO appeals panel into the melee June 24 in San Juan Capistrano cleared parent Mark Kaylor of attacking rival spectators with a metal rod, finding that he fought in self-defense.

The panel of three AYSO members, after interviewing spectators and tournament officials who saw the brawl, also concluded that two volunteer coaches with the Chino Chiefs’ under-14 team should receive shorter bans.

Organization officials said they hope now to put memories of the Orange County brawl behind them and try to ensure that children enjoy playing without parents’ passions running out of control.

“We have to get this behind us and get on with the new season, and let parents prove that they understand what’s appropriate on the sidelines,” said Lolly Keys, national spokeswoman for the Hawthorne-based AYSO.

She said officials reviewed the punishment after all three adults filed appeals. But they cautioned that reducing the penalties, which the organization said at the time were the toughest in its history, should not suggest that the nonprofit soccer organization will ever tolerate sideline violence at its games.

The two soccer teams involved in the brawl remain disbanded, officials noted. And more people could still face discipline for their roles in the melee as the investigation continues.

The decision by the AYSO comes nearly three months after dozens of adults kicked and punched one another at the close of a tournament game between the Chiefs and the Palmdale Eagles.

The violence, denounced as the worst in the AYSO’s 37-year history, resulted in the arrest of Kaylor and a catalog of injuries to parents, from fractured bones to a bite on a parent’s arm.

While parents from each side blamed the others for starting the clash, the appeals panel concluded that Palmdale’s supporters were more likely to blame because the brawl started just yards from the sideline where Chino parents had been standing.

“That means that the Palmdale parents would have had to have run across the field,” said Frances Stronks, director of the AYSO section that includes Los Angeles and Chino. “So the assumption is that the initial aggression came from the other side.”

Stronks acknowledged, however, that the panel did not interview Palmdale supporters during its investigation.

News of the decision to lift the lifetime bans drew mixed reactions in Chino, where many parents and coaches said they feel unfairly blamed for the violence.

“We’re very, very happy,” said Kaylor’s wife, Pat Kaylor. “It’s been a horrific ordeal. We trusted that the truth would prevail.”

Kaylor said her husband suffered two fractured bones in his wrist when a group of Palmdale supporters attacked him and threw him in some bushes.

But it was Kaylor, 40, who was arrested when Palmdale parents told Orange County sheriff’s deputies that he had attacked them--allegations the AYSO now concludes were false.

Orange County prosecutors in recent weeks also decided not to file assault charges against Kaylor, saying the case against him lacked sufficient evidence.

Pat Kaylor said her family has spent $7,000 to bail her husband out of jail and pay attorney fees--money they may never recover.

“When you’re accused of things that you didn’t do, it’s a horrible feeling, especially when you’re honest, law-abiding citizens,” she said. Her husband could not be reached for comment.

Not everyone was happy with the outcome of the appeal.

Ron Munch, the Chiefs’ head coach, said he was bitterly disappointed that the organization did not lift the ban against him and his assistant coach, Jaime Perez, entirely. Munch’s ban was reduced to two years, followed by one year of probation. Perez is banned for one year, followed by a year of probation.

“I had nothing to do with this incident,” Munch said. “We were attacked by Palmdale, and I think I’ve been made a scapegoat.”

Munch said he plans to appeal the latest decision to the national board of directors in an attempt to overturn the punishment. He faulted the decision not to ban any of the Palmdale supporters or coaches.

Regional league directors in Palmdale opted against banning any individual supporters but appointed a special committee of parents and other volunteers to monitor behavior by spectators and players at tournaments. Palmdale officials could not be reached for comment Monday.

Since the violent incident, the AYSO has beefed up security at some games and rolled out a new safety program at tournaments in which parents sign pledges not to disrupt games with aggressive yelling or other actions.