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SportsActive today · day 3

Crew fires Higuain after ref abuse incident sparks outcry

Columbus Crew dismisses Crew2 coach Federico Higuain for misconduct toward female referee, citing lack of contrition.

newest coverage 4h agosummary written 1d ago52 pieces NewswiresMastodonRedditGoogle News

What to know

  • Higuain was initially suspended for two games by MLS NEXT Pro after refusing to release a female referee's hand and telling her soccer is 'a man's game' on August 23.
  • The Professional Soccer Referees Association publicly criticized the suspension on September 20 as below the three-game minimum required by U.S. Soccer policy for both a forceful grab and discriminatory conduct.
  • Columbus Crew fired Higuain on September 22 after determining he lacked contrition, refused to apologize publicly, and failed to meet the club's leadership standards.
  • Crew supporters groups and social media pressure accelerated the team's decision to terminate Higuain after the PSRA's public statement drew wider attention to the incident.
most voices

The initial suspension was far too light; Higuain's firing was the necessary outcome.

  • “The League's response falls drastically short of the right message to the participants, the referees, and the public. It needs to be reevaluated.”

    Professional Soccer Referees Association · Social media statement ↗

“Our Club is dedicated to growing the game by creating environments where everyone is welcome and supported on and off the pitch, which is founded upon our values of respect, inclusivity and prioritizing people and culture first.”

Columbus Crew, Organization statement · ESPN ↗ · Sep 21

Federico Higuain Crew2 managerProfessional Soccer Referees Association Officials' unionMLS NEXT Pro League authorityColumbus Crew EmployerIssa Tall Crew General Manager

Crew fires Higuain after ref abuse incident sparks outcry
Yahoo Sports

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

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Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 2:09 AM ET
  1. 2

    Columbus Crew fires Higuain for cause, effective immediately

    The Crew announces the termination of Higuain as Crew2 manager. General Manager Issa Tall states the club's leadership standards were not met. Sources tell ESPN the club was dissatisfied with Higuain's lack of contrition, his refusal to issue a public apology to the referee, and his overall lack of accountability.

    “We determined it's in the best interest of our Club, players and support staff to dismiss Federico Higuaín from his responsibilities.”
    — Issa Tall
    1. 8 outlets Columbus Crew fires Crew 2 manager after referee incident

      first by Cleveland.com, 1d ago · also Columbus Crew, The Guardian Football, Guardian Sport, Guardian US, Philadelphia Inquirer, Yahoo Sports +1

      5 more headlines
    2. 3 outlets Crew fire former player Federico Higuain after alleged abuse of official

      first by Yahoo Sports, 1d ago · also ESPN Soccer, ESPN

      3 more headlines

    • Oh my bad I thought you said "It does make sense if you have any understanding of statistics." which you did, so if you'd like to share statistics to help me understand that would be swell. But my shift is about over here at work so I'll only respond to actual links or stats from here on out. Or if you would like to share what your point about…

      hahauknowwhatitis420r/soccer6h agoview on r/soccer ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 4 posts in this stretch
    • columbusnewsbot@c.im

      Columbus Crew 2 coach fired after ‘deliberate acts of physical abuse and sexism’ against female ref https:// 614now.com/2026/culture/columb us-crew-2-coach-fired-after-deliberate-acts-of-physical-abuse-and-sexism-against-female-ref # columbus # ohio The Columbus Crew has fired its reserve manager, Federico Higuaín, following a suspension that…

      columbusnewsbot@c.imMastodon15h agoview on Mastodon ↗

    • I quoted you already, you made a claim of understanding statistics, I am simply asking you for those statistics that you claim to understand. Your point has already been refuted through statistics funnily enough, so you're welcome to provide some statistics. I know you won't and you will continue to deflect and again not provide statistics.

      hahauknowwhatitis420r/soccer10h agoview on r/soccer ↗
    all of them →
  2. 1

    Crew supporters groups demand Higuain's firing on social media

    Multiple Crew supporter groups, including the Nordecke and CapyBrava, post on social media calling for Higuain to be fired in response to the PSRA's public criticism.

    “Don't forget, this is a man's game…”
    — Federico Higuain, Crew2 manager · source
  3. background

    Professional Soccer Referees Association publicly criticizes suspension as inadequate — The PSRA posts a statement on social media revealing details of the incident and arguing that the two-game suspension falls short of policy requirements. The association states that U.S. Soccer policy mandates a minimum three-game suspension for a "forceful grab," and another minimum three games for acts of discrimination, making the total penalty insufficient.

  4. background

    Higuain completes two-game suspension — Higuain misses Crew2's second suspended game against Philadelphia Union II. MLS NEXT Pro also requires him to participate in multi-session restorative practices training.

  5. background

    Higuain begins two-game suspension without public announcement — Higuain misses Crew2's game against Chicago Fire II as part of an unpublicized two-game suspension issued by MLS NEXT Pro after investigation.

  6. background

    Higuain grabs referee's hand, makes sexist remark during Crew2 loss — During a Crew2 match against Huntsville City FC, coach Federico Higuain squeezed a female official's hand and refused to let go despite being told three times to stop. He also told the official: "Don't forget, this is a man's game." He was red-carded in the moment.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 4 outlets MLS coach axed for telling female ref 'It's a man's game'

    first by Yahoo Sports, 1d ago · also Bangkok Post, The Telegraph, The Independent

    4 more headlines
  2. 4 outlets MLS coach sacked after sexist remark to female referee

    first by Yahoo Sports, 23h ago · also BBC Football, BBC Sport, BBC

    1 more headline

and 3 smaller pieces

What people are saying 1 voices from 1 site · best of 4 · verbatim