Columbus Crew sacks reserve team coach Federico Higuain following an incident involving a female match referee, the club says. The team says Higuain made a remark telling the official, “Don’t forget this is a man’s game,” and also refused to release her during a handshake.
Both outlets report that the Professional Soccer Referees Association describes the conduct as physical intimidation as well as sexist. Yahoo Sports adds that the association says the remark demeanes the official and refers to the comment as being made alongside the refusal to let go during the handshake. NDTV similarly frames the sacking as a response to the controversial comment and the confrontation during the handshake.
The reports align on the main facts: Higuain is removed by Columbus Crew, the referee is female, and the club’s decision is linked to both the “man’s game” remark and the handling of the handshake. The outlets differ mainly in emphasis, with Yahoo Sports foregrounding the referees association’s characterization of “physical intimidation,” while NDTV focuses on the club’s description of the remark and refusal to release.
