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MLS club Columbus Crew have sacked their reserve team manager Federico Higuain after he was alleged to have refused to let go of the hand of a female referee and told her “don’t forget that this is a man’s game”.
Higuain, the brother of former Argentina international striker Gonzalo Higuain, was sent off and suspended for two matches following the incident, which occurred during a 1-0 defeat to Huntsville City in the MLS NEXT Pro series on 23 August.
The MLS referees union, The Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA), criticised the league’s response and said it fell “drastically short” in a statement Sunday 20 September, after Higuain had returned to the touchline for two Crew 2 matches.
Without naming Higuain, the PSRA said 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 also said “this physical intimidation was compounded by a demeaning, sexist remark to the official: ‘Don’t forget, this is a man’s game’.”
In a statement on Tuesday night, Columbus Crew said Higuain had been fired after “further assessing the past month” and holding discussions with him.
“We determined it’s in the best interest of our club, players and support staff to dismiss Federico Higuaín from his responsibilities,” Crew general manager Issa Tall said in a press release.
“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.”
Higuain, 41, played for Columbus Crew in MLS for eight seasons between 2012 and 2019 and also had spells with DC United and Inter Miami before his retirement in 2021.
The PSRA’s statement on Sunday added: “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.”
