The coach should have never lied....no doubt. However, the father is acting as if he is innocent and personally I'm not so sure. As I understand it the father pulled this young lady from the game and went straight home before the game was over. I have a feeling that this dad can get a bit evil. I bet pulling his kid from the game was not a pretty sight. Honestly, how many here can say they have politely pulled their child from a game and took them home before the game was over so they could give the child a fun vocabulary test and have a nice talk about being a good teammate and such? I get the feeling this father is a bit of a not so nice, intense individual, if you know what I mean. I also get the feeling that the coach lied so she did not have to deal with the father, not because of the child.
Whether I am right or wrong in my gut feeling, the young lady deserved to stay with the team the entire game where she was pulled and went home, and she should have been part of her team in the semi-finals and finals.
Len