Soccer officials are investigating a hate-speech incident after a Los Angeles Football Club player allegedly called a Colorado Rapids player a derogatory term during a match on Tuesday.
ESPN reported that the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, known as CONCACAF, is launching an investigation after LAFC’s Sergi Palencia allegedly called the Rapid’s Chidozie Awaziem a derogatory term during the final minutes of the close CONCACAF Champions Cup match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, KTLA sister station KDVR reports.
The exact term allegedly used by Palencia, a Spaniard, against the Nigerian Awaziem has not been made public, though a report by the Athletic indicates it may have been racist.
After the match, Rapids coach Chris Armas said several players were visibly upset leaving the game.
“As a club, we do not tolerate any form of abuse, and we stand with our players following these very serious allegations. This language has no place in our game,” the Rapids said in a statement on Wednesday.
Awaziem posted a statement on Instagram on Wednesday saying that he believes that he was subject to abusive language, and he said he immediately reported the incident to teammates and officials.
“Concacaf has been clear with its ‘What’s Wrong is Wrong’ campaign that discrimination has no place in our sport. As players, we need to know that these standards are upheld and that we’re protected on the field,” Awaziem said in a statement. “My hope is that the governing bodies of the sport continue to hold players and fans accountable for discriminatory language in order to create an environment that protects and respects players of all races and cultural backgrounds.”
LAFC posted on X about the “referee & player controversy” on Tuesday night, saying that Palencia was accused of using a derogatory term, and that if that’s true, it’s unacceptable.
ESPN reported that LAFC said in its own statement later on Wednesday, “LAFC is aware of the reported incident during last night’s Concacaf Champions Cup match and is cooperating fully with the ongoing Concacaf investigation. LAFC is a club for all and stands against hate in any form. We have spoken with our player about the incident and will continue to respect the investigative process.”
LAFC landed with a 1-0 win against the Rapids on Tuesday, which finished off the first round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. LAFC is moving on to play Columbus Crew on Tuesday, March 4.
