Real Salt Lake owner Hansen takes leave of absence amid racism probe
AFP, Los Angeles :
Real Salt Lake owner Dell Loy Hansen will take a leave of absence as Major League Soccer (MLS) investigates allegations he used racist language, the club said Friday.
Hansen, who also owns United Soccer League club Real Monarchs and the Utah Royals of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), will step away from the operations of all three clubs while the investigation is pending, Utah Soccer said in a statement.
“As MLS and NWSL commence their investigations, Utah Soccer will ensure full cooperation, including seeking to answer any questions the leagues may have about the statements made by Mr Hansen regarding athlete boycotts and allegations in a resulting article,” the statement said.
“As an organization, our priority is our employees, our teams, our players, and our fans, and Mr Hansen in particular cares deeply for each of these individuals who works so hard to make Utah Soccer the success that it is.”
The allegations that Hansen made racist remarks surfaced in a report by The Athletic on Thursday, which cited former Real Salt Lake scout Andy Williams.
When that article was published, Hansen was already under fire for comments he had made about Real Salt Lake players’ decision to sit out a game on Wednesday in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.
Real Salt Lake owner Dell Loy Hansen will take a leave of absence as Major League Soccer (MLS) investigates allegations he used racist language, the club said Friday.
Hansen, who also owns United Soccer League club Real Monarchs and the Utah Royals of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), will step away from the operations of all three clubs while the investigation is pending, Utah Soccer said in a statement.
“As MLS and NWSL commence their investigations, Utah Soccer will ensure full cooperation, including seeking to answer any questions the leagues may have about the statements made by Mr Hansen regarding athlete boycotts and allegations in a resulting article,” the statement said.
“As an organization, our priority is our employees, our teams, our players, and our fans, and Mr Hansen in particular cares deeply for each of these individuals who works so hard to make Utah Soccer the success that it is.”
The allegations that Hansen made racist remarks surfaced in a report by The Athletic on Thursday, which cited former Real Salt Lake scout Andy Williams.
When that article was published, Hansen was already under fire for comments he had made about Real Salt Lake players’ decision to sit out a game on Wednesday in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.
