Red Bulls supporters protest “light punishment” for racist incident during MLS match

Lhe New York Red Bulls faced the Houston Dynamo this Saturday evening. And as expected, several groups of Red Bulls supporters left the stadium before the match started. They wanted to protest against what they considered a “too light punishment” for Dante Vanzeir, after the racist incident last week.

As a reminder, the Belgian striker was suspended by MLS for six games after the racist incident during the match against the San Jose Earthquakes. The former Union striker must also pay a fine and undergo a recovery programme. But according to some associations of supporters of his club, this sanction is not sufficient. They believe that MLS is not living up to its promise to adopt a zero tolerance policy against racism.

During the match, supporters also attacked coach Gerhard Struber, whose resignation they demanded for having been too lax. “Struber out, Dante out” was one of the unmistakable messages addressed to New York coach Gerhard Struber and Vanzeir that could be seen in the stands.