Franklin man accused of drugging, raping kids was not registered soccer coach
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The Tennessee State Soccer Association (TSSA) says Camilo Hurtado Campos, 63, was never registered as coach with them. In fact, the only record they have of him was from 20 years ago when he registered to be a referee.
To be a registered soccer coach with TSSA, people must have a background check done. The next step cracks down on sexual predators, which Campos never completed.
Hans Hobson, TSSA CEO, found out Sunday Campos was arrested for drugging and raping kids. Hobson said he’d never heard Campos’ name before and said Campos is not a registered coach.
“I think in my mind the reason he has probably avoided registering with us is because of the things we have in place,” said Hobson.
To be a registered coach, people must complete a background check and get their certification through the U.S. Center for SafeSport. That training teaches coaches how to crack down on sexual predators and is a paid federal requirement.
“One of the biggest knocks we get for soccer in the United State is it’s so expensive,” said Hobson. “But I would also go back and say soccer is safe because we do put a little more money into it.”
He said Campos did register in 2000 as a referee, but back then the requirements were not as strict.
“Basically, he passed a background check,” Hobson said. “At that point in time there was no SafeSports certification. So, even the community of referees around him couldn’t have the knowledge to think ‘is this referee someone we need to be careful of?’”
He said to bypass the state registration he may have started his own league.
“If you have to go through a background check every single year and you have to go through SafeSport certification it becomes difficult,” Hobson added.
He said parents should look for clubs listed on their website to see if they are registered with the TSSA. If they aren’t, parents should make sure they talk with the clubs’ leaders.
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