Latest news with #JosephRosales
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
MLS suspends Loons defender Joseph Rosales for three matches
Minnesota United left back Joseph Rosales has been suspended for three games by Major League Soccer after he allegedly directed a slur towards a Vancouver Whitecaps player during an April 27 game at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn. MLS said in a statement Wednesday that Rosales had violated the league's non-discrimination policy. Rosales' reinstatement following the suspension is contingent on his participation in a restorative practices program. The 24-year-old Honduran will miss the next two league games — Wednesday at Houston and Saturday versus St. Louis City — as well a U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 matchup against St. Louis City on May 21 at Allianz Field. In a statement released on social media, Rosales denies using discriminatory language in the incident. "I am addressing the recent three-game suspension issued by the League. I want to be clear: I did not use any discriminatory language," Rosales said on his personal X, formerly Twitter, account. "However, I acknowledge that my actions contributed to escalating tensions on the field, and for that, I sincerely apologize to the opposing player and to everyone affected." Late in the April 27 game, Rosales was part of a heated exchange with Vancouver's Emmanuel Sabbi. Immediately after the clash, referee Drew Fischer intervened with the players and coaches; no cards or ejections were issued as a result of the incident. The league conducted an investigation into the incident, but did not share what evidence, if any, was found. "While I disagree with the League's decision to suspend me because I believe it was based on a misinterpretation, I respect their process and their commitment to fostering a safe and inclusive environment," Rosales said. In a statement on social media, the club stated they believed Rosales is sincere in his assertion that he did not use discriminatory language, but accepts the league's decision to suspend him. Coach Eric Ramsay has taken Rosales out of the starting lineup since the incident, using him as a sub in the May 3 game at Austin FC and Saturday's game against Miami.
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS MLS star issues furious denial after being banned for alleged racial slur of rival player
Minnesota United midfielder Joseph Rosales has been suspended by MLS for the alleged use of discriminatory language in a match against the Vancouver Whitecaps in April. However, the player denies that he used any discriminatory language and disagreed with the league's suspension. The match on April 27 saw the two sides engaged in a heated conversation before play continued without a stoppage. While Rosales' name was rumored to be involved, neither the Whitecaps nor Minnesota United confirmed the involvement of either the offending player or the victim in requests for clarification from Now, on Wednesday, Minnesota United confirmed that the 24-year-old Honduran had been suspended for three games due to violation of MLS 's Joint Non-Discrimination Policy. Both the club and Rosales released statements after the decision was handed down. Rosales' statement reads: 'I am addressing the recent three-game suspension issued by the League. I want to be clear: I did not use any discriminatory language. 'However, I acknowledge that my actions contributed to escalating tensions on the field, and for that, I sincerely apologize to the opposing player and to everyone affected. 'While I disagree with the League's decision to suspend me because I believe it was based on a misinterpretation, I respect their process and their commitment to fostering a safe and inclusive environment. 'I have always taken this situation seriously and am committed to doing everything I can to support a respectful, inclusive game.' The club's statement said, 'MNUFC is aware of and accepts the League's decision to suspend Joseph Rosales for violating the MLS-MLSPA Joint Non-Discrimination POlicy. The League concluded that Rosales used discriminatory language against an opposing player. 'While both MNUFC and Rosales acknowledge that the opposing player believed he heard discriminatory language, was negatively impacted, and expressed his concern in good faith, Rosales adamantly denies using discriminatory language. After speaking extensively with Rosales and several members of our team, our club believes and supports him.' The statement continued: 'Although he denies using language that violated the joint policy, Rosales has taken full accountability for his role in escalating on-field tensions during the match. 'He is committed to participating in any steps the League recommends to continue strengthening and reinforcing a culture of respect and accountability across the League. Rosales emphatically denied that he used language which violated the league's policy Minnesota United also released a statement accepting the ban but standing by Rosales' claims 'Combating discrimination in all forms is a core value of our club. MNUFC will continue working with the League, our players and our broader community to uphold the standards of respect, equality, inclusion and accountability.' The club then confirmed the three matches Rosales would miss: two league matches against Houston Dynamo and St. Louis City as well as another game against St. Louis in the Round of 16 for the US Open Cup. Rosales will be eligible to return for a league game against Austin FC on May 24. MLS implemented a new Anti-Discrimination Policy ahead of the 2024 season, which the league said was the first of its kind in American professional sports, 'in that it is centered on restorative practices, prioritizing education, prevention, training and cultural awareness.' Per the policy, players involved in a discriminatory incident will 'have the opportunity to speak confidentially with a trained facilitator' who will have a 'formal role in evaluating the situation and offering a proposed restorative plan when appropriate.' 'Thorough' investigations into these incidents involve assessments of audio and video footage, a review of the match report, and interviews with witnesses. The policy states that the commissioner has the authority to issue discipline 'if it is determined that a violation occurred.' New York Red Bulls forward Dante Vanzeir was suspended by MLS for six games in 2023 However, if the player accepts responsibility and agrees to engage in a 'restorative plan' they will face 'less severe discipline than if he denies committing the act and is found, based on all the evidence, to have been untruthful or misleading.' MLS is one of the more nationally diverse leagues in the world and has suffered from multiple notable racist incidents over the past few years. The most prominent example involved New York Red Bulls forward Dante Vanzeir using a racial slur against San Jose Earthquakes forward Jeremy Ebobisse during an April 2023 match. Vanzeir was suspended for six games. That punishment was subsequently protested by the Red Bulls fans, who believed it was too light.
Forbes
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Why The Slur Allegation In Vancouver-Minnesota Match Felt Different
Joseph Rosales of Minnesota United was accused of directing a discriminatory slur toward the ... More Vancouver Whitecaps' Emmanuel Sabbi toward the end of Sunday's game. Vancouver won 3-1. In the Vancouver Whitecaps' 3-1 victory over Minnesota United on Sunday, the nature of the Whitecaps' impressive performance took a backseat to the allegations that emerged from an exchange late in the second half, levied at Minnesota's Joseph Rosales for potential discriminatory language directed at Vancouver's Emmanuel Sabbi. This is the fourth time such an allegation has been made during an MLS match since 2021, and the second time this year in a game involving MLS teams. (The other came during Concacaf Champions Cup competition.) But what was arguably the most notable feature of Sunday's incident was how evident it was to informed observers exactly what was going on when referee Drew Fischer paused the match for more than three minutes to address team captains and managers, as well as his own officiating crew. 'You wonder if there was something that was said,' said MLS Season Pass play-by-play commentastor Neil Sika as Fischer began talking to manager Eric Ramsay of Minnesota and Jesper Sorensen of Vancouver. 'That's what I'm wonering now,' responded Sika's analyst partner Lloyd Sam. 'I'm sure some news will come out after.' Sika continued: 'I'm almost willing to bet that's the case when you bring both coaches over and you're the referee.' In his postgame remarks afterward, Ramsay also said it became clear to him what was going on pretty quickly. 'We sat through a workshop in preseason as to how those types of instances are dealt with,' Ramsay said. 'And that was pretty much to the script.' After four years, we may have reached the point where there is enough of a track record with MLS' policy for dealing with such incidents that they no bring immediate confusion for bystanders. And while that unfortunately speaks in part to the frequency with which such allegations occur, it also is evidence the league and its match officials have been both consistent and deliberate in their response. And whatever the number of times the league's protocol for discriminatory speech has been used does indicate about the prevelence of discriminatory language in soccer is very obviously not a problem for MLS alone. The players involved in those incidents have come from a wide range of backgrounds: Argentine, Colombian, German, American, Greek, Jamaican, Spanish, Nigerian, Honduran and Italian among them. The logical conclusion is that discriminatory speech is an issue everywhere the sport is played with people from disparate backgrounds. If there's a reason you see the issue surface more often in MLS competition than in other matches, it's because MLS is one of the few competitions with deliberate policies to combat it. (Pierre-Luc Lauzierre, the referee in charge of the mentioned Concacaf Champions Cup match earlier this year, is also an MLS official.) Whether the protocol is effective at reducing such instances is another matter, and probably nearly impossible to determine based on the data we have. While roughly one instance a year is notable, it's not much of a sample size in the big picture and certainly prone to fluctuations. And the existence of the league's policies could potentially be a lurking variable, in that players simply knowing have an avenue to formally address a perceived slur could make them more observant of potential discriminatory language. And the use of the protocol doesn't always mean a slur was used. In many circumstances, there's the possibility for words to be misheard during the fog-of-war conditions of high-level athletic competition in a loud stadium environment. That's one potential explanation for the previous episode this season in Concacaf play, one that ended with Concacaf publicly clearing Sergio Palencia of using the slur that had been alleged by Chidozie Awaziem.
