MLS scandal: Gonzalo Higuaín's brother fired for sexist remarks toward referee

American club Columbus Crew have terminated the contract of Federico Higuaín, head coach of their reserve team, following a high-profile incident.

Details: Columbus Crew, a representative of Major League Soccer (MLS), officially announced the dismissal of 41-year-old Argentine coach Federico Higuaín from his role as manager of Columbus Crew 2, who compete in MLS Next Pro. The severe sanctions were imposed after the coach displayed inappropriate and aggressive behavior toward a female referee during a recent match.

During the game, the older brother of former Argentina and Chelsea striker Gonzalo Higuaín voiced his frustration with the officiating crew, grabbed the referee by the arm and repeatedly shouted:

“Don’t forget that this is a men’s game!”

For this incident, the league initially handed him a two-match suspension, but the Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) sharply criticized the league leadership for what it considered an excessively lenient punishment.

Following a detailed internal investigation, Columbus Crew general manager Issa Tall announced that the club was ending its cooperation with the coach:

“We have concluded that, in the best interests of the club, its players and staff, the right step is to relieve Federico Higuaín of his duties. Following discussions and an analysis of what happened, it became clear that the standards of conduct expected of a leader within our organization had been violated.”

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