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The National Women’s Football League will not play the games scheduled for this weekend as it deals with the fallout of allegations of sexual misconduct against a former coach.
Friday’s games, including Washington in North Carolina and Gotham FC in Louisville, have been postponed as well as Saturday’s roster, which included Orlando in Chicago, Houston in Kansas City and Reign FC in Portland.
The NWSL did not say on Friday whether the games would be caught. In a statement, Commissioner Lisa Baird said the decision was made with the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association.
North Carolina Courage fired coach Paul Riley on Thursday amid allegations, spanning more than a decade, of sexual coercion and inappropriate comments about players’ weight and sexual orientation.
Later on Friday, FIFA also announced that it had opened an investigation into the sexual harassment allegations against Riley.
“Due to the gravity and gravity of the allegations made by the players, we can confirm that FIFA’s judicial bodies are actively investigating the case and have opened a preliminary investigation,” FIFA said in a statement to the AP. “In this connection, FIFA will contact the respective parties, including US Soccer and NWSL, to obtain further information on the various protection concerns and allegations of abuse that have been raised.”
Baird said in a statement: “This week, and much of this season, has been incredibly traumatic for our players and staff, and I take full responsibility for the role I have played. I am so sorry. For the pain that many feel. Aware of this trauma, we decided not to go into the field this weekend to give everyone a space for reflection.
“Business as usual is not our concern at the moment. Our whole league has a lot of healing to do, and our players deserve so much better. We have made this decision in conjunction with our players’ association and this break will be the moment. first step as we collectively work to transform the culture of this league, something that is long overdue. “
The NWSLPA called Thursday a “deeply painful day for us as the players” in a report published Friday.
“For many players, the pain has spanned years,” the statement said. “The outpouring of support we felt was a beacon of light on a dark day.
“Last night we made the difficult decision to ask the NWSL to postpone this weekend’s games to give the players space to deal with this pain. Commissioner Baird and the Board of Governors worked overnight to gain access. at this request. “
The announcement came after The Athletic published an investigation in which he spoke to more than a dozen players from every team Riley has coached since 2010, including two named players who have recorded allegations against him.
A club statement Thursday read: “In light of today’s information, North Carolina Courage has fired head coach Paul Riley, effective immediately, following serious allegations of misconduct.”
Riley, in an email to The Athletic, said the majority of the allegations were “completely false.”
Riley was head coach of the Portland Thorns in 2014 and 2015. After being let go by the Thorns, he became head coach of the Western New York Flash for a season before the team was sold and transferred to North Carolina. .
Riley was Professional Women’s Football Coach of the Year in 2011 and won the same honors in the NWSL in 2017 and 2018. Courage won the NWSL Championship in 2018 and 2019.
The NWSLPA also called for an independent investigation into the allegations against Riley.
The union has also called for the suspension of any league or club staff member accused of violating the league’s anti-harassment policy or failing to report misconduct, regardless of when it occurred.
The union also asked how Riley got hired by another club after allegations of misconduct surfaced while he was with the Thorns. The union is currently negotiating its first contract with the league.
“We refuse to remain silent any longer. Our commitment as players is to speak the truth to power,” the union said. “We will no longer be complicit in a culture of silence that has allowed abuse and exploitation in our league and in our sport.”
The league did not immediately respond to these requests.
In its ninth season, the NWSL has been rocked by several recent scandals involving team officials.
The Athletic’s report came days after another league head coach, Richie Burke of the Washington Spirit, was fired for just cause. He had previously been suspended following abuse allegations detailed by the Washington Post.
The league officially sacked Burke and sanctioned the Spirit on Tuesday after an independent investigation.
Gotham FC chief executive Alyse LaHue was sacked in July after an investigation into the league’s anti-harassment policy. She denied any wrongdoing.
Racing Louisville coach Christy Holly was sacked in September, but the reasons for his sack have not been made public.
OL coach Reign Farid Benstiti abruptly resigned in July.
OL Reign CEO and minority owner Bill Predmore said on Friday that Benstiti was asked to step down after an undisclosed incident during training.
Benstiti had previously been accused by US national team midfielder Lindsay Horan of sexist behavior during his tenure as Paris Saint-Germain coach.
Horan said she was reprimanded by Benstiti because of her weight.
Racing Louisville, whose Friday game against Gotham FC has been postponed, issued the following statement.
“We salute the courage of those who have shared their stories to help eradicate this reprehensible behavior in the league,” said Racing President Brad Estes. “We joined the NWSL, in part, to empower women in our community. We also see the need to raise the standards within professional women’s football. It will take real work and humility to make the change these athletes deserve. Now more than ever, we are committed to this effort and we fully support our players. “
The report sent shockwaves through the sport. The players’ association demanded sweeping changes to the league, as some of football’s most prominent figures – including two-time World Cup winners and NWSL players Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan – expressed their indignation.
The NWSL met to try to work out a makeup date for the matches, keeping in mind that FIFA set an international window of October 18-26, during which NWSL players would be set to upgrade. available to their respective national teams.
Information from Jeff Carlisle, The Associated Press and Reuters was used in this report.
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