Portland Timbers allege racist comment during Minnesota United victory

Jun. 27—After an MLS game against Minnesota United on Saturday night, Portland Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese opened his news conference by addressing what he said was a "racist ... discriminatory" comment directed at Timbers midfielder Diego Chara.

"I am very and extremely disappointed that still at this time we have to deal with situations that should not be happening anymore on any sport or anywhere," Savarese said from Providence Park in Portland, Ore. "Things that are not acceptable.

"In this game, there was a situation that had to do with racist ... discriminatory word that has been said to one of our players."

In a statement Sunday, the Loons said, "The player involved in the reported incident has denied making any derogatory remarks." The club declined to identify the player.

In the 62nd minute of the Loons' 1-0 victory, television cameras showed Chara making a hard tackle of Loons winger Franco Fragapane, but play continued. The two players briefly crossed paths soon afterward, before a Timbers shot went out of bounds and play was paused for a restart.

Referee Rosendo Mendoza stopped play, talked with other officials and held a brief meeting with players from each team: Timbers captain Diego Valeri and Chara and Loons captain Michael Boxall and Wil Trapp. Fragapane tried to enter the conversation, but teammates kept him away.

Mendoza soon resumed play without taking further action. Fourth official Baldomero Toledo was shown on TV having a conversation with United manager Adrian Heath on the sideline as the game continued.

"The referee should have handled this situation in a much better way," Savarese said. "We all are in support of Diego Chara, but what happened to him today, the discriminatory word was said to him, should not have a place anywhere at this time."

A Loons spokesman told the Pioneer Press early Sunday morning that Heath "spoke with the player and (the player) says he didn't say anything." The club would not confirm the identity of the player who allegedly made the statement.

MLS issued a statement midday Sunday: "Major League Soccer is aware of the alleged incident that occurred during the (match). MLS has zero tolerance for abusive and offensive language, and we take these allegations very seriously. An investigation into this matter has already begun. Further information will be provided upon the completion of that investigation."

MNUFC issued its own statement Sunday, saying the club will support the league in any investigation and that the club is "built on inclusivity and respect and does not tolerate discrimination under any circumstance." The club said it has been investigating the matter itself, as well.

The MLS Disciplinary Committee reviews and investigates alleged incidents of misconduct after they occur on the field, and if it determines fault the committee releases punishments for players and coaches, often during the following week.

Heath was not asked about the incident during his postgame news conference on Zoom, and no United players addressed the media before the team made a quick turnaround to fly back to Minnesota. The charter flight arrived around 6 a.m. Sunday morning, and Heath said he would give the team a few days off.

The club typically has open-to-media training sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the Loons' next game is Saturday against San Jose Earthquakes at Allianz Field.