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Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondent
MLS Next has announced that Flamengo’s under-17 team will withdraw from the GA Cup. They also won’t participate in Sunday’s third-place match.
ESPN reports that a league source has confirmed to them that Flamengo decided to pull out of the tournament after their contentious semi-final against the Philadelphia Union. After the match that the Union won 2-0 tournament organizers MLS Next stated that it will launch an investigation in response to accusations made by both teams that they had engaged in misconduct and violated tournament rules. This included the use of racist language.
Flamengo informed MLS Next it would not participate in the Sunday third-place match.
Flamengo did not respond to our request for comment.
The violation comes after several incidents of players using racist language in the GA Cup – a youth event run by MLS NEXT – the youth arm of MLS. The tournament includes not only teams from MLS, but also teams from Mexico and Europe.
MLS Next, a subsidiary of MLS, runs the GA Cup and other youth competitions.
MLS Next issued a statement saying: “CF Flamengo has decided not to participate in the GA Cup match scheduled for today.” MLS NEXT began investigating the incidents that occurred after Saturday’s semi-final match. The investigation continues. Due to the young age of minors involved, any specific information about the allegations made or the findings regarding individuals remain confidential.
ESPN reported that a source in the league said that a Flamengo team member was dismissed for two yellow cards. At half-time, an assistant Flamengo coach received a red card for verbal abuse directed at a ref, but this was not because he used a prohibited term.
A Flamengo footballer was sent off after the game for allegedly using discriminatory words towards the referee. A second Flamengo footballer did the exact same thing, but was not sanctioned.
MLS Next matches are not run exactly like the MLS matches. However, MLS has protocols for handling cases of discriminatory language on the field. MLS Next has begun a review of the protocol.
In a statement, MLS Next said it was “deeply concerned and disturbed by recent incidents of abuse on the field of players at several GA Cup games this week.” The conduct is completely unacceptable. It violates competition rules, as well as our collective goal to promote a respectable and inclusive atmosphere for everyone.
The trained professionals on staff will offer immediate assistance to anyone involved in any allegation.
ESPN sources confirm that the international teams received a briefing on discriminatory or banned words prior to their participation in the tournament. The briefings took place one-on-1 between an MLS Next rep and an International team. They also included a meeting with representatives of both the domestic and international teams.
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