Columbus Crew Fires Reserve Coach Federico Higuaín After Incident with Female Referee
- On Tuesday, September 22, 2026, the Columbus Crew fired Crew2 head coach Federico Higuain for cause following an internal review of his misconduct toward a female official during an August match.
- The Professional Soccer Referees Association reported that Higuain committed "deliberate acts of physical abuse and sexism" against the official, including squeezing her hand and refusing to release it despite three requests to stop.
- During the incident, Higuain told the official, "Don't forget, this is a man's game," and the PSRA later criticized the league's initial two-game suspension as "too lenient" for such behavior.
- Columbus Crew general manager Issa Tall stated the firing occurred because "standards of what's expected from a leader" were not met, while sources told ESPN that Higuain's "lack of contrition" and refusal to apologize contributed to the decision.
- Crew2 technical staff will manage coaching duties for the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs while the club searches for a permanent replacement, though the league's restorative practices process for Higuain remains underway.
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107 Articles
The Columbus Crew, Major League Soccer Club (Mls) has exempted the coach of the reserve team, Federico Higuaín, brother of the most famous Gonzalo. The decision arrived after the accusations of a sexist behavior directed to the technician against a female race officer during a recent match of the MLS Next Pro championship. The local media [...] L'articolo Federico Higuain chased by the Columbus Crew for a sexist comment: it's blizzard about Gonz…
Columbus Crew Takes Strict Action Against Coach Accused of Misconduct After Controversial MLS Statement
Columbus Crew has taken further action against Federico Higuaín after the former Crew 2 coach became the subject of controversy following an alleged incident involving a female match official. The matter had already led to a two-game suspension from MLS NEXT Pro, but the controversy resurfaced after the Professional Soccer Referees Association publicly questioned the […]
23 Set (Reuters) - The Major League Soccer Club Columbus Crew fired on Tuesday the reserve team technician, Federico Higuaín, after an accusation of sexism against an referee.
Columbus Crew reserve team coach fired after incident involving ‘physical abuse and sexism’
By Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN (CNN) — Major League Soccer (MLS) team Columbus Crew fired Federico Higuaín, the head coach of their reserves team, following an incident in a game that a referees’ association deemed “physical abuse and sexism” toward a female referee. Higuaín – who was appointed head coach of the franchise’s reserves squad,
Columbus Crew announced they have parted ways with reserve team coach Federico Higuain, who was at the center of a sexism accusation against a female referee. The referees' association had argued that the two-match suspension given to Higuain, who also played for Beşiktaş at one point, was insufficient.
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