The USL Championship soccer league is investigating allegations that a member of San Antonio FC’s coaching staff hurled a racially charged insult at fans last week during a match in Phoenix, the Arizona Republic reports.
The San Antonio FC coach, who was not identified in the story, told a group of Phoenix Rising FC fans during last Saturday’s game between the two teams that he was “going to call ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement),” according to the Republic.
The comment reportedly came as the San Antonio FC coach exchanged harsh words with members of the Los Bandidos, a group of die-hard fans that attend every Phoenix Rising home game. Like San Antonio, the majority of people living in Phoenix identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
Spurs Sports & Entertainment, San Antonio FC’s parent company, didn’t respond to the Current‘s request for a comment on the controversy by press time Wednesday afternoon.
Phoenix Rising FC officials confirmed to the Arizona Republic that the league is investigating the incident but didn’t share any further details.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the Los Bandidos fan club called the incident “unacceptable,” encouraging San Antonio to “take a letter on the matter.”
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This article appears in Aug 9-22, 2023.
