The parents of a nine-year-old boy who went to court in a dispute over whether he should play in goal for his local football team said they did it to protect his mental health.

The boy’s parents, who want to remain anonymous, told the AD they had repeatedly asked football club RKMSV in Mijel in Limburg to let him play in an outfield position.

“He was clearly upset about it but was explicitly told it was goalkeeper or nothing,” the boy’s mother told the paper.

Things got so heated that the parents were banned from the sports complex for ”making others feel unsafe”. They then initiated legal proceedings to overturn the ban and revoke the club’s authority to force the boy to play in goal.

The boy’s seven-year-old brother plays for a different team at the same club without a problem, “clearly a sign that the problem lies with this particular team”, his mother said.

However, the judge said the case did not belong in a court but should be arbitrated by the Dutch national football association KNVB.

He said the parents were unable to sufficiently refute claims supported by trainers and other parents that their behaviour made them feel unsafe and were sentenced to pay €2100 in legal costs.

RKMSV did not want to comment on the parents’ statement. “The issue has been extensively dealt with. There is a detailed file and that is what the decision was based on in favour of  RKMSV,” chair Jacq Crommentuijn told the paper.

It is not clear if the parents will be taking the case to the KNVB. Neither the boy’s mother nor the club would comment on whether or not the boy is still on the team.