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Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondent
Flamengo’s Under-17 team has withdrawn from the GA Cup, and will not participate in Sunday’s third place match, MLS Next announced on Sunday.
A league source tells ESPN that Flamengo made the decision to withdraw from the tournament following its contentious semifinal against the Philadelphia Union. After the match, which the Union won 2-0, tournament organizers MLS Next said it would launch an investigation following accusations that both teams engaged in misconduct that violated tournament rules, including the use of discriminatory language.
Rather than wait for the results of the investigation, Flamengo informed MLS Next that it wouldn’t participate in Sunday’s third place match.
An attempt to reach out to Flamengo for comment wasn’t successful.
The violations come in the wake of several other instances of players from other teams using discriminatory language at the GA Cup — a youth tournament run by MLS NEXT, the MLS-run youth organization. In addition to involving teams from MLS clubs, it also includes teams from Mexico, Europe and South America.
The previous incidents led the New York Red Bulls to withdraw both their U15 and U17 teams from the GA Cup, though the latter team had already been eliminated.MLS Next is the subsidiary of MLS that runs its youth competitions, including the GA Cup.
In a statement, MLS Next said: “CF Flamengo will not participate in today’s scheduled GA Cup match. MLS NEXT immediately began an investigation into the events following Saturday’s semifinal match, and that investigation remains ongoing. Given the age of the minors, specific details about allegations or findings regarding any individuals will remain confidential.”
A league source told ESPN that during the match a Flamengo player was sent off for receiving two yellow cards, and that was followed by a Flamengo assistant coach getting red carded at half-time for verbal abuse towards a referee, though in this case it wasn’t for using a banned term.
After the match, a Flamengo player was red carded after allegedly directing discriminatory language towards the referee. Another Flamengo player did the same, though he wasn’t sanctioned.
MLS already has protocols in place for its league matches to handle cases where discriminatory language is used on the field, though those do not mirror exactly the protocol that is in place for matches run by MLS Next. A review of that protocol by MLS Next is under way.
In its statement, MLS Next added it “is deeply concerned and upset by the recent incidents of on-field abuse of players during several games at the GA Cup this week. This behavior is entirely unacceptable, violates the rules of the competition, and our collective effort to ensure a respectful and inclusive environment for all.
“Following any allegations, trained professional staff offer and provide immediate resources to all involved.”
Sources tell ESPN that international teams were briefed prior to the tournament on what constituted banned or discriminatory words. One such briefing took place in a one-on-one setting between an MLS Next representative and an international team, as well as a later meeting where at least one representative of each team – both international and domestic — was present alongside MLS Next representatives.