SAN DIEGO–San Diego Loyal Soccer Club said they will forfeit their earned point by forfeiting the match it played on Wednesday, Sept. 23’s match against LA Galaxy II –which ended in a 1-1 draw—following news that a racial slur was directed at San Diego player during the match.
“We don’t even want to recognize being a part of a match where these types of actions take place”, said San Diego Loyal’s Chairman Andrew Vassiliadis. “The Loyal in our name is symbolic of the diversity in our community and as a club we will not stand for this.”
During the 71st minute of the match, a LA Galaxy II player used a racist remark (the n-word) towards a San Diego Loyal player. Multiple referees, LA Galaxy II coaching staff and players were in the area, several of which (admittedly) heard the exchange. The Galaxy player was not disciplined by LA Galaxy II coaching staff or referees and SD Loyal coaching staff did not hear about the incident until the match was over.
The incident happened at LA Galaxy II’s home field in Dignity Health Sports Park as both teams were vying for the second-place spot in the Group B standings as the regular season winds down. SD Loyal (6-4-5, 23 points) appeared to be in a prime position to reach the USL Championship playoffs, but LA Galaxy II tied the match after the SD Loyal player, who the slur was directed towards, was sent off for a second yellow card.
Collectively, the club takes this matter very seriously and after learning about the situation in the locker rooms after the fact, the team believes they should’ve walked off the field with lack of discipline for this action. As a team, they have decided to forfeit the match.
“If there is anything we have learned during the last few months with all the racial injustice matters that have occurred, we have to take action that has consequences when these matters occur”, said President of SD Loyal Warren Smith. “I am proud of this organization, its ownership, staff, and especially our players for wanting to take such action.”
