Concacaf Palencia Investigation Clears LAFC Player in Incident With Awaziem

MIAMI, Fla. – The Concacaf Disciplinary Committee has cleared LAFC’s Sergi Palencia of discriminatory action. This comes after an investigation into alleged discrimination during the later stages of the Conca Champions match between Colorado Rapids and LAFC last Tuesday. Around the 83th minute, play was stopped as Rapids center back Chido Awaziem inquired to referee Pierre-Luc Lauziere about possible discriminatory language said by Palencia to him. LAFC won the match 1-0, advancing on away goals with the aggregate tied 2-2.

Here’s the full statement Tuesday afternoon:

“Following a thorough review of the match officials’ reports, available match footage and audios, and the respective positions of both clubs, the Concacaf Disciplinary Committee has cleared Los Angeles FC player Sergi Palencia of any discriminatory action. 

While the evidence confirms that the interaction between Palencia and Colorado Rapids player Chidozie Awaziem involved inappropriate language, it is clear to the Committee that the word reported by the Colorado Rapids in its official position to Concacaf was not used. 

Concacaf will continue to urge teams, players, and fans to participate in our sport positively and with respect for the opposition. There is no room for discrimination in our game. What’s Wrong is Wrong.” 

Neither Concacaf nor either club has clarified what Palencia is accused to have said. Awaziem used the phrase “abusive language,” in a post on Instagram. Rapids manager Chris Armas used the word “discriminatory” in the postgame press conference. LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo stated Awaziem felt the language was directed towards him, possibly suggesting a difference in understanding of the context.

Awaziem stated that the playing environment should protect “players of all races and cultural backgrounds,” in his Instagram post. This is the only public statement to suggest that what was accused was racist in nature.

Burgundy Wave has reached out to Concacaf for clarification on what words were alleged to have been said, what constitutes “discriminatory action” and “inappropriate language,” and how those two are different. At time of publishing, we have not received a response. A Concacaf official declined to answer our questions and comment further beyond the issued statement.

Sources have told Burgundy Wave that what Palencia said was not in English and not racist in nature. Palencia is from Spain and has played in France. Awaziem has played in Spain and France. So the conversation could have happened in Spanish or French. Lauziere is Canadian and fluent in French. Concacaf’s banned language goes beyond race (homophobia, sexism, etc.).

Without more information from the Disciplinary Committee, I’m hesitant to draw any conclusions. Typical of Concacaf, they’ve announced their conclusion but kept the receipts private.

Most soccer players say swear words throughout the 90 minutes. Is basic profanity considered “inappropriate language” to Concacaf? How far does that definition go? There’s plenty of ways a player could say something discriminatory without using discriminatory profanity.

Did Palencia just say some generic Spanish swear words that many other soccer players say? Did he say something racist without using a slur? If so, where do we draw the line on that being punishable?

There’s been plenty of LAFC fans on social media who’ve argued Awaziem should be punished for crying wolf, implying he made this up to get a competitive advantage. I don’t see the logic here. The only time a Concacaf or PRO referee has sent off a player for discriminatory language has been if they hear it directly. Lauziere would have said what he heard in his match report. There’s no precedent for an official giving a yellow or red card because of an accusation they aren’t first hand witness to.

Getting Palencia suspended a week later after an investigation wouldn’t have helped the Rapids in the final 10 minutes of the second leg.

Furthermore, stoping the game for this to try and get more stoppage time is at best a zero sum game. The referee wasn’t going to stop the game for four minutes to hear Chido out and then add five minutes of stoppage time for that. There’s no plausible outcome where the Rapids get a competitive advantage before the end of the game.

Awaziem speaks Spanish and French as second languages. There’s a chance he misheard or misinterpreted what Palencia said. There’s a chance his understanding of inappropriate language, discrimination, and what’s wrong to say on a football pitch is different from what Concacaf has defined as punishable. The culture in other leagues he’s played in might be different. Again, Concacaf needs to be more transparent.

To use an analogy, there’s plenty of times in soccer where there’s a tackle, the tackled player hits the ground, and no foul is called. That doesn’t automatically mean it’s a dive.

Without further details on the investigation, I’m not going to speculate on what Palencia allegedly said or presume the morality and intent of either player’s actions. Just like how last week I didn’t immediately assume Palencia was guilty and demand he be tarred and feathered by Rapids and LA Galaxy fans.

May 31 at BMO and October 18 at DICK’s just got more intense.

Photo Credit: John Babiak

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