Shaun Wright-Phillips' daughter blocked from playing for 'being too good'

Shaun Wright-Phillips has taken to social media to vent his anger towards local football clubs who have blocked his daughter Raphaelle from participating in tournaments

UPDATE: Marlow FC were not contacted for comment before this article was published. We apologise for that omission. Their statement has now been added.

Shaun Wright-Phillips has blasted organisers of a girls' football tournament for barring his daughter from playing – because she's 'too good'.

The former Chelsea and Manchester City star has revealed that talented daughter Raphaelle, who is on Arsenal's books, has not been allowed to play in the upcoming tournament (via the Mirror). The son of Gunners legend Ian Wright posted screenshots of messages from tournament officials stating they couldn't accept entries from teams linked to academies.

Wright-Phillips, 42, shared on social media: "So today I was told my daughter Raphaelle is NOT allowed to play with her friends in local girls tournaments or any general participation because she is effectively 'too good'."

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He added: "She is 10 years old! She simply wants to play football with her friends. There should not be an ability restriction. Players in general will have all kinds of skill levels, and it's my view any 'stronger players' should not be punished for this.

"There will naturally be all variations of ability in all walks of life, and it's important for everyone to be competitive and set bars to improve one another. Very disappointed to hear this BuryOfficial and MarlowFC."

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In response, Marlow FC said: "As a grassroots club who actively promotes community football, especially for girls, Marlow FC are very disappointed in how this has been misrepresented. Marlow FC has had no dialogue with Wright-Phillips. All events have rules and these are published on the application form.

"The team that applied is ineligible. Given that Wright-Phillips states his daughter is 10 years old, she would not have been able to play anyway because the team that applied has a maximum age of 9. Marlow FC has a long history of promoting youth football and giving children of all abilities the opportunity to grow and develop."

One response stated: "I am very sorry but we would not entertain your club entering. We are aware of your Arsenal pre-academy connection and therefore you are too strong a side to be considered at this time."

Last year, Wright-Phillips shared that his daughter had signed a youth contract with Arsenal. He also highlighted Raphaelle's commitment to reaching the top level in women's football.

"She's probably the most dedicated child of that age I think I've seen, considering she only really started playing probably two years ago," the former England player said.

He added: "And to show her dedication to it I tell people this story all the time I remember taking her to the beach one day and all she wanted to do is pull-ups and things like that, rather than go down the slide. That's when I realised she was going to be more sporty."

Raphaella's granddad, Ian Wright, often shares videos of her training on his social media. Recently, when announcing his departure from Match of the Day, he said: "I'm going to actually watch more football - I'm going to watch my granddaughter."

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