Burbank has to forfeit tie

BURBANK -- Burroughs High boys’ soccer Coach Mike Kodama detected a

possible CIF Southern Section rule violation prior to his team’s

Foothill League match against rival Burbank.

While the teams were warming up before the Feb. 7 contest at

Burbank High, Kodama spotted Bulldog player Jeff Ruiz standing on the

sidelines. Ruiz received a red card and was ejected from Burbank’s

previous match with Valencia, which required him to sit out the

contest with the Indians.

“Coach Kodama went to the referee before the game and told him

that the player had a red card and he shouldn’t be at the game,” said

Jay Gudzin, Burroughs assistant vice principal of activities and

athletics. “Coach Kodama tried to let Burbank know that there was a

problem with the player and there was a potential violation going to

happen.

“Either the Burbank coaches didn’t know of the rule, or they chose

to ignore it.”

Following a 1-1 tie, Burroughs informed the CIF Southern Section

of the infraction and the Indians have been awarded the forfeit

victory as a result of the violation.

Under Southern Section rules, a soccer player who receives a red

card is suspended from taking part in the team’s following match.

The CIF Southern Section Blue Book Constitution and Bylaws,

Article 24, Section 2418, under Player Conduct reads: “A player who

is ejected from the previous contest who, knowingly or unknowingly,

participates in, or is in attendance, at the next contest will result

in the forfeiture of that contest.”

“If the player would have left when Coach Kodama pointed out the

situation, we would have never filed anything on the matter,” Gudzin

said. “But when I arrived, the player was standing there next to the

field while the game was going on.”

According to Burbank Coach Michael Bailie, Ruiz was asked to leave

the field prior to the match, but he returned sometime afterward. He

spent most of the second half standing 20 yards away from the Burbank

bench, wearing his Bulldog jersey.

Ruiz even ventured onto the filed at the conclusion of the contest

to shake hands with the Indian players.

“I saw [Bailie] escort [Ruiz] off the field when we told him the

player was there,” Kodama said. “It’s not the coach’s fault the

player came back.”

The tie would have been Burbank’s second point in league. The team

is left with one point, after tying against Valencia and losing all

of its other league matches.

The forfeit win was beneficial for the Indians, as it allowed them

to stay in the race for a league title, which they lost Thursday.

“It’s just an unfortunate situation, and a situation that could

have been avoided,” Gudzin said.