Brawling parents at a youth soccer tournament in Sweden had to be separated by police as several players looked on in tears, Swedish news website The Local reported Tuesday.
Fighting broke out in the stands during a semifinal match of the Alliansen indoor soccer tournament at which 12-year-old boys were competing.
"I've been a coach for many years, and it's the worst thing I've ever seen," Mans Ahlm, the trainer for the Asums BK youth soccer club, told The Local.
What sparked the disturbance, which involved parents kicking and punching each other, remained unclear, but as many as 35 people were involved at the height of the incident.
Four police cars arrived to calm things down, but no arrests were made. Witnesses said the incident was traumatic for many of the boys, with some reduced to tears.
The teams were set to play again Thursday in the tournament's final round, but both coaches agreed to not play the boys whose parents apparently sparked the fight in a bid to avoid another incident.
