Columbus Crew reserve team coach fired after incident involving ‘physical abuse and sexism’哥伦布机员队预备队教练因“肢体虐待和性别歧视”事件被解雇
Major League Soccer (MLS) team Columbus Crew fired Federico Higuaín, the head coach of their reserves team, following an incident in a game that a referees’ association deemed “physical abuse and sexism” toward a female referee.
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Major League Soccer (MLS) team Columbus Crew fired Federico Higuaín, the head coach of their reserves team, following an incident in a game that a referees’ association deemed “physical abuse and sexism” toward a female referee.
Higuaín – who was appointed head coach of the franchise’s reserves squad, Crew 2, in January 2025 – squeezed and refused to let go of a female referee’s hand during a recent MLS NEXT Pro match and told the official, “Don’t forget this is a man’s game.”
MLS NEXT Pro subsequently investigated the incident and suspended Higuaín for two matches before the Crew let him go.
“We determined it’s in the best interest of our Club, players and support staff to dismiss Federico Higuaín from his responsibilities,” club general manager Issa Tall said in a statement released Tuesday.
“After conversations this week and further assessing the past month, our Club’s standards of what’s expected from a leader for one of our teams have not been met.”
In a statement Sunday, prior to the Crew firing Higuaín, the Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) – which represents pro soccer refs in the US and Canada – criticized the length of the suspension initially made by MLS NEXT Pro, saying it “falls drastically short of the right message.”
CNN Sports has reached out to MLS NEXT Pro for comment.
“A male head coach committed two deliberate acts of physical abuse and sexism against a female official – squeezing her hand and refusing to let go after being told to stop three times,” the PSRA added. “This physical intimidation was compounded by a demeaning, sexist remark to the official: ‘Don’t forget, this is a man’s game.’
“Women make every level of this game better. They should not have to endure intimidation or degrading comments to prove it. Our female officials have proven their excellence on the world stage. They deserve the same respect, dignity, and safe working environment as every other official.”
Higuaín scored 59 goals, had 51 assists and made 210 appearances for the Crew in his lengthy professional career as a player and is the brother of former Real Madrid, Napoli and Argentina star Gonzalo Higuaín.
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美国职业足球大联盟（MLS）球队哥伦布机员队解雇了预备队主教练费德里科·伊瓜因，此前裁判协会认定伊瓜因在一场比赛中对一名女裁判实施了“身体虐待和性别歧视”。
伊瓜因于 2025 年 1 月被任命为该俱乐部预备队 Crew 2 的主教练。在最近的一场 MLS NEXT Pro 比赛中，他紧紧抓住一名女裁判的手不放，并告诉该裁判：“别忘了这是男人的游戏。”
MLS NEXT Pro随后对该事件进行了调查，并对伊瓜因禁赛两场，之后哥伦布机员队放走了他。
俱乐部总经理伊萨·塔尔在周二发布的一份声明中表示：“我们认为，为了俱乐部、球员和工作人员的最大利益，应该解除费德里科·伊瓜因的职务。”
“经过本周的讨论以及对过去一个月情况的进一步评估，我们俱乐部对旗下某支球队领导者的期望标准并未达到。”
在哥伦布机员队解雇伊瓜因之前，代表美国和加拿大职业足球裁判的职业足球裁判协会（PSRA）在周日发表声明，批评了MLS NEXT Pro最初做出的停赛处罚的时长，称其“远远没有传达正确的信息”。
CNN体育已联系MLS NEXT Pro寻求置评。
PSRA补充道：“一名男性主教练对一名女裁判实施了两次蓄意的肢体虐待和性别歧视行为——他紧紧握住女裁判的手，并在三次被告知停止后仍拒绝松手。此外，他还对女裁判发表了贬低性的性别歧视言论：‘别忘了，这是男人的游戏。’”
“女性让这项运动的各个层面都变得更好。她们不应该为了证明这一点而忍受恐吓或贬损的言论。我们的女裁判已经在世界舞台上证明了她们的卓越才能。她们理应享有与其他所有裁判一样的尊重、尊严和安全的工作环境。”
伊瓜因在其漫长的职业生涯中为哥伦布机员队出场210次，攻入59球，助攻51次。他是前皇家马德里、那不勒斯和阿根廷球星冈萨洛·伊瓜因的弟弟。