Youth Football Coach Arrested For Punching Player In Murrieta: Police

MURRIETA, CA — A football coach was arrested on suspicion of battery and child abuse after striking an opposing team's player during a Murrieta youth football game Saturday, according to the Murrieta Police Department.

According to authorities and witnesses, 50-year-old Eibylardo Manuel Funes struck a 14-year-old player of the opposing Perris team, causing the boy to suffer a concussion.

Police were called to the Vista Murrieta High School field just before 6 p.m. Saturday to respond to reports of a melee at a youth tackle football game.

"Officers arrived on scene and discovered an altercation had occurred between the two teams' players, coaches, and parents," the Murrieta Police Department said in a written statement. "During the investigation, officers determined a coach, Eibylardo Funes (age 50), had struck a 14-year-old player from the opposing team. The victim sustained an injury to his eye and exhibited symptoms of a concussion."

Funes was arrested and held at the Southwest Detention Center and released Sunday on a $35,000 bond. Funes did not respond to a call from Patch for comment.

Hector Moreno, spokesperson for the Perris Panthers football team, spoke with Patch about the incident.

"I was there. I saw the whole thing," he said. "Harlem has been back and forth to the hospital after being struck by an adult. He's not the same right now. He's not the same Harlem I've known since he was a little boy."

Moreno said he was among those to take the field after the youth tackle game got heated.

"The coach was already in an aggressive mood, cussing and arguing calls," Moreno said. "Something shook him to a point where he felt it was okay to hit a kid. It all happened so fast."

A TikTok video from the scene shows the Perris Panther player on the ground as emergency sirens wail in the distance. In the video, the family shouts, "Harlem! Wake up! Stay awake," and "Call an ambulance!"

"This is heartbreaking for youth football worldwide," Moreno said. "Typically, if the kids get into altercations on the field, the referees or coaches will split them up until cooler heads prevail. Never have I seen it come to an adult hitting a child."

Though the youth football league carries the name "Murrieta Broncos," it is not affiliated with the Murrieta Valley Unified School District, the Murrieta police said in the statement. "School facilities are commonly reserved by outside youth leagues. The Murrieta Valley Unified School District does not employ Mr. Funes."

The investigation is ongoing, according to Murrieta Police.

Funes has been suspended and banned from the Murrieta Jr. All-American club, according to organization officials. The club posted a statement to Facebook:

"Broncos would like to say that the incident that happened Saturday afternoon during our Midget game vs. Perris was an unfortunate and disheartening situation. We do not condone any actions that occurred on Saturday. This is a tough situation on all families involved. We care about all the kids and wish Harlem and his family well."

Meanwhile, the boy's mother and spokespeople from the Perris Panthers league say they want the Murrieta Youth Football League banned from play. She said the force of the strike caused her son to suffer a seizure.

“To watch him seize and pass out because of another adult; I can understand children, but this was an adult who intentionally hit my child in front of me,” said Neenah Kaowili, Harlem’s mother told NBC Los Angeles. “What happens if we don’t get the old Harlem back? What do we do? You get suspended from your league and a slap on the wrist and my son has to deal with this for the rest of his life.”