Local News

Dallas United withdraws from The Soccer Tournament after player alleged to have used racial slur

Dallas United has withdrawn from The Soccer Tournament (TST) in Cary after allegations that a player used a racial slur on Thursday night during a game.
Posted 2023-06-02T01:44:02+00:00 - Updated 2023-06-02T21:58:58+00:00
West Ham players take a knee day after racial slur allegation

Dallas United has withdrawn from The Soccer Tournament (TST) in Cary after allegations that a player used a racial slur on Thursday night during a game.

The Soccer Tournament announced the suspension of the match between Dallas United and West Ham United due to "allegations of use or intent to use a racial slur." An investigation from TST organizers found that Dallas United violated the tournament's code of conduct.

On Friday, West Ham players Anton Ferdinand and Matt Jarvis addressed the media over the slur, which was directed at player Frank Nouble.

Neither player nor coach nor TST organizers has identified the player who used the slur or specifically what was said.

West Ham was coming off a 4-3 win against Culture By Mo Ali FC. Both teams took a knee at the start of their match as an act of solidarity against racism.

Ferdinand said he "didn't want to get into the nuts and bolts of what was said," but added it was enough to warrant the game being suspended. He was encouraged by the tournament's handling of the situation.

"The topic of conversation that was laid bare yesterday was bigger than futbol," Ferdinand said. "The way TST dealt with it swiftly, a lot of people around the world can take note. This ain't just a futbol issue, this is a societal issue."

"The message is it's just not ethnic, minority people's fight, it's everybody's fight," Ferdinand said. "That's the thing about yesterday. It wasn't just Black players who were talking about it."

Ferdinand has been vocal in speaking against racism in the past. He's been a part of “Show Racism the Red Card” movement in the UK.

TST CEO Jon Mugar also spoke. When asked if Dallas United would be allowed at the tournament next year, he said "we haven't gotten that far yet."

"We feel very confident that we arrived at a very positive place and made a very positive statement as a result of it," Mugar said.

Nouble has not spoken publicy on the incident.

Tournament rules allow for organizers to "disqualify any Team or Participant at any point in the Tournament for any reason if the Producer believes that the participation of such Team or Participant is or may become harmful to or interfere with the integrity, competition, production and/or telecast of the Tournament."

Organizers issued this statement late on Thursday:

"After conducting an investigation into the final moments of the match between West Ham United and Dallas United, we have concluded that Dallas United violated TST’s code of conduct. We have been in dialogue with leadership from both clubs and we are all aligned that the best path forward is Dallas United withdrawing from competition. All parties involved are unified in wanting to make a statement against racial insensitivity."

Players, coaches and organizers gathered on the field after the game was suspended to learn more about what was happening. NBA All-Star Chris Paul, one of TST's investors, was among those seen on the field.

After the notification from TST, Dallas United made a social media post saying they would launch their own investigation into the incident with the initial allegation claiming one of their players was responsible for the slur.

Several hours later, Dallas United announced they were removing themselves from the tournament. The players' decision to withdraw was unanimous with support from coaches and staff members.

Dallas United will not be playing in Friday's match against Far East United.

"TST has zero tolerance towards racial abuse, and take these allegations very seriously. After speaking with players and coaches from both teams, officials, and consulting audio from our production team, TST will issue the results of its investigation," read a tweet from the tournament's Twitter account.

Dallas United is a men's semi-pro team composed of current collegiate players. Dallas United led the match 2-0 at the time of the stoppage.

Thursday was the opening day of the tournament, which brought 32 teams from all over the world to WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. This weekend marks the inaugural edition of TST.

Credits