HARRISON, N.J. (AP) — The New York Red Bulls have withdrawn their Under-15 and U17 teams from an upcoming MLS Next tournament because of “racist incidents against players.”
The club says players on its U17 team were victims of racism during two recent Generation Adidas Cup matches and adds that “match officials didn’t take action.”
“There is no room for discrimination around competitive play,” the Red Bulls said in a statement. “As an organization, we stand together with our players on and off the pitch.”
The Red Bulls won’t play in the GA Cup to be played in Florida this weekend.
MLS Next acknowledged three allegations of discriminatory language used during recent GA Cup matches.
MLS Next officials “immediately investigated and then issued suspensions” to the offending individuals in accordance with the league’s disciplinary code, specifically its safety and wellbeing policy. MLS Next also made resources available onsite to the affected players and clubs.
“MLS Next remains steadfast in its commitment to eradicating discriminatory and racial incidents at every level of the game and will continue to work with all players to properly educate, train and swiftly address any incidents,” the league said in a statement.
MLS Next is a player-development league owned and operated by Major League Soccer in North America.
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