Lest anyone believe racial abuse in soccer is limited to the continental scene, the Washington Post’s Steven Goff reports on an incident that occured after DC United’s scoreless draw at Houston.
United Goalkeeper Louis Crayton chatting with well-wishers outside the club’s locker room following the match when he said a Houston fan directed a racial slur at him.
Crayton, who is black, leapt over a barrier and attempted to confront the man before security and United General Manager Dave Kasper restrained the native of Liberia.
“It is so sad that he would say that to me,” Crayton said. “I am saying hi to the fans and he walked up to me and told me, ‘Hey, you’re a monkey, go back to the jungle.’ I told him, ‘Hey, you can’t say that to me. I am not a monkey, I am a human being like you.’ I jumped over to ask him why he insulted me, and he kept going.”
Robertson Stadium officials officials escorted the fan off the premises and barred him from games indefinitely. The Dynamo also contacted MLS about the incident and further action may be taken.
Crayton, signed in August after a long career in Switzerland, said it was the first time he has heard such comments since arriving in MLS. Earlier this year, a Columbus fan shouted a racial epithet at New England’s Kheli Dube, a forward from Zimbabwe who is black.