Disqualified for looking like a boy, 8-year-old girl gets apology from soccer group

The Nebraska State Soccer Association is investigating why 8-year-old girl’s soccer team was banned from a tournament because she “looked like a boy.”

Mili Hernandez and her team weren’t allowed to play in the final of their soccer tournament on Sunday because organizers said the team roster had Hernandez listed as a boy. Hernandez has short hair.

“When my hair starts to grow I put it short because I've always had short hair. I didn't like my hair long,” Hernandez told WOWT.

Her father told the television station that his daughter loves playing soccer and “was in shock” when tournament organizers told her she couldn’t play.

“They made her cry,” Gerald Hernandez said.

The state soccer association said it did not oversee the Springfield Tournament but that the decision to disqualify Hernandez did not represent its “core values.”

“We apologize to this young girl, her family and her soccer club for this unfortunate misunderstanding,” Nebraska Soccer Association said in a statement posted on Facebook. It said the tournament would not be sanctioned until a review of the incident can be conducted.

“We believe that this needs to be a learning moment for everyone involved with soccer in our state and are working directly with our clubs and tournament officials to ensure that this does not happen again,” the state association statement said.

Hernandez’s family said they showed organizers her insurance card to prove she was female, but her team still wasn’t allowed to play.

“Just because I look like a boy doesn't mean I am a boy,” Hernandez said. “They don't have a reason to kick the whole club out.”

Soccer stars tweeted in support of Hernandez, including former national team members Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach.

“You don’t look like a boy. You look like a girl. With short hair. And that’s ok,” Wambach said in a video posted on Instagram. “You’re inspiring. You’re a natural-born leader, honey, and I’m so proud of you.”

This story was originally published June 6, 2017 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Disqualified for looking like a boy, 8-year-old girl gets apology from soccer group."