An 18-year-old from Cork has lost a court case against his former club, reports the Irish Times.
Sean Cooke sued Carrigaline United at the Cork Circuit Court over claims that he suffered trauma by being dropped as a young teenager.
Cooke had ambitions of becoming a professional footballer with his father saying clubs such as Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday had shown interest.
He felt particularly aggrieved by not playing in a game against Ballincollig apparently attended by an Aston Villa scout. Coach Tim Mawe said he did not know the scout was in attendance - 'Pope Francis could have been at the match.'
Cooke said he had stopped playing for Carrigaline because he had not been treated correctly.
I wasn’t being treated the way I should have been treated. I was told I was not good enough.
Tim Mawe denied telling Cooke that he was not good enough.
The young player believes a falling out which his father had with two coaches, due to the tabling a motion of no confidence in them, led to him being dropped.
After playing the majority of games the previous season, Cooke started just two of the opening seven games of the 2012/13 season.
Cooke added that the situation had caused him stress.
I went home and locked myself in my room. I smashed my phone against my wall. For that year I could not play.
Kieran Hughes, the barrister for the defence, said that Cooke had played sparingly as he was returning from an injury. This was denied by the player.
Judge Sean O’Donnabhain ruled that Matthew Maguire, barrister for Sean Cooke, had not established that there had been a 'breach in duty of care'.
Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
