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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93 Articles
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.
Algemeen Dagblad
gelderlander.nlMajor League Soccer club Columbus Crew has fired Federico Higuaín, the reserve team coach, following allegations of physical and sexist misconduct. The brother of former top footballer Gonzalo Higuaín allegedly misbehaved towards a female referee.
Technician Federico Higuaín, brother of former Argentine player Gonzalo Higuaín, was fired from the command of team B of Columbus Crew, United States, after making sexist comments against an referee in a game of MLS Next Pro — transitional league that houses mainly reserve teams — saying: "Don't forget that this is a game of men." The episode happened at the time of the handshake, at the end of the game. In a statement, the Professional Associat…
A U.S. club fires his coach for sexist behavior. An argument with a referee costs him the job.
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