Foot: Washington club fires Greek player for racist behavior

The American football club D.C. United has terminated the contract of its Greek player Taxiarchis Fountas, accused of having made racist remarks, the organizing body of the MLS championship announced on Thursday. The 27-year-old striker had already been the target of an investigation last year but then denied having uttered a racist insult. “D.C. United and player Taxi Fountas have decided to terminate his contract by mutual consent with immediate effect,” Major League Soccer said in a statement.

“Fountas had been placed under administrative suspension on July 21 after reports deemed credible that he had used prohibited and discriminatory language aimed at another player. Major League Soccer and its affiliated clubs want to eliminate racism from sport. D.C. United, the club from the federal capital Washington, also issued a statement confirming the player's departure, adding: "There is no place for racism, homophobia, misogyny or discrimination in our sport and D.C. United will not tolerate any such act."

The precise reason for this dismissal was not communicated but the site The Athletic had indicated on July 21 that Nigel Robertha, a Dutch teammate of Fountas, had complained of having been the target of a racist insult uttered by the Greek player during an argument on the pitch. In a previous incident in 2022, Fountas and Inter Miami defender Damion Lowe had a falling out and the Greek player was then also accused of using a racial slur. He had however denied it even if the MLS had, after investigation, found this accusation "credible" without however being able to confirm it independently.