Greek forward Taxiarchis "Taxi" Fountas has been let go by DC United following a repeated investigation into racial abuse allegations. This comes after a prior incident in which he was accused of using a racial insult, which he had refuted. AFP has reported on the situation.
In a statement released on Thursday, Major League Soccer (MLS) confirmed the mutual agreement between DC United and Taxi Fountas to terminate his contract immediately. This decision follows Fountas's being placed on administrative leave on July 21 due to credible claims that he had used prohibited and discriminatory language towards another player.
The league's commitment to eliminating racism from the game was emphasized in their statement: "Major League Soccer and its clubs are dedicated to eradicating racism from the sport."
DC United echoed this sentiment in a similar statement, underlining that behaviours such as racism, homophobia, misogyny, or any form of discrimination have no place in the world of sports or society. The club explicitly stated their zero-tolerance stance towards such actions.
While the reasons for the initial suspension on July 21 were not detailed, The Athletic reported that Fountas' teammate, Nigel Robertha from the Netherlands, had raised a complaint about experiencing a racial insult from the Greek striker during a match.
Recalling a previous incident in 2022, during a game against Inter Miami, Fountas was involved in a confrontation with Miami defender Damion Lowe and faced allegations of using a racial slur. Fountas had contested the accusation, and following an investigation, MLS acknowledged the allegation as "credible" but acknowledged the inability to verify it independently.
