forfeits

Forfeits by high school boys’ soccer teams in the City Section and Southern Section playoffs continued Friday as both sections try to deal with violations of CIF Bylaw 600, which prohibits players from participating in outside leagues during their sports season.

Calabasas pulled out of the Southern Section Division 3 championship because of an ineligible player. Chavez became the sixth City Section school eliminated from the playoffs for using an ineligible player and was replaced by Chatsworth for the City Division I final.

There’s also an allegation about another Southern Section team that could result in another forfeit in the final.

Some high schools thought they had found a solution by not allowing players to play until after their club seasons ended in early December. Cathedral had several players miss its first three games because of several big club tournaments in November and early December.

“You communicate to students and parents,” Cathedral coach Arturo Lopez said. “Unfortunately, there’s more and more academies now.”

Ron Nocetti, the executive director of the CIF, said, “I think we have to have conversations with our sections.”

CIF membership repeatedly has rejected the proposal of getting rid of Bylaw 600. Schools don’t want to have their coaches battling it out weekly with club coaches, which also would place additional pressure on athletes dealing with school work and then having to do double workouts.

The balancing act for students already is tough enough, with the amount of club teams growing in a lot of sports because it’s a lucrative business. The CIF briefly suspended the rule during the pandemic in 2020 but quickly reinstated it.

The problem is club soccer programs are holding competitions in the middle of the high school season, and players, knowing the rule that you can’t play high school and club at the same time, apparently have decided to try to do both with the hope of not getting caught.

This year, they are getting caught. Emails alleging violations started arriving to City Section commissioner Vicky Lagos before the semifinals. If a player is found to have played club, the high school team has to forfeit, and if it happens during the playoffs, the team is eliminated.

Usually the pressure is on schools to make sure rules are not violated, but for Bylaw 600, schools can do everything right and still be punished for a player violating the rule on their own.

Several leagues are expected to present proposals to get rid of Bylaw 600. Nocetti said membership might be open to adopting changes.

“Maybe this is a tipping point for schools saying maybe it’s time to make a big change with the rule,” he said.

The City Section boys’ soccer playoffs are in turmoil.

On Wednesday, City Section commissioner Vicky Lagos announced that Marquez and South East have been removed from the Open Division playoffs because of ineligible players that violated CIF bylaw 600, which bans players from participating in outside leagues during the season of their sport. Both players are involved with MLS Next, a soccer development program.

South East reached the Open Division final after beating Marquez in the semifinals. Marquez was scheduled to face El Camino Real in the final but now is also out. As a result, two schools that were beaten in the first round, Birmingham and Venice, will play Thursday at Birmingham for the right to face El Camino Real at 6 p.m. at Pasadena City College on Saturday for the Open Division title.

But there are more problems. At least four Birmingham players, thinking their season had ended, have already started playing for their club teams, so they won’t be eligible to play for the Patriots on Thursday.

Franklin was also removed from the playoffs, and Chatsworth and L.A. Jordan forfeited games this season for similar reasons.

“It’s a big mess,” Lagos said.

Birmingham athletic director Rick Prizant, whose school is part of the West Valley League, is proposing to change bylaw 600.

“This proves we should get rid of the rule,” he said.

Lagos emphasizes before the season to coaches that players can’t play in club competitions or in showcases during their high school soccer season. Lagos said she doesn’t believe any of the head coaches were aware of the violations. She received an email last week informing her of a possible South East violation and another Monday regarding Marquez.