Nashville’s Yazbek has been hit with an unprecedented suspension. And fans are not happy.
Nashville SC player Patrick Yazbek suspended for two games violation of the league's Non-Discrimination policy
Major League Soccer has suspended Nashville SC midfielder Patrick Yazbek for two games following a violation of the league's Non-Discrimination Policy during the Aug. 24 match between Nashville and Austin FC.
Yazbek is set to miss Nashville's upcoming matches against Orlando City and Atlanta United. Additionally, he is required to complete a "restorative practice program."
In the 30th minute of Nashville SC's 2-0 loss to Austin, Yazbek fouled Austin midfielder Owen Wolff. As Yazbek made his way back down the field, he appeared to say something to either Wolff or Austin defender Dani Pereira, who was also nearby.
Although there was no extended altercation, referee Rosendo Mendoza quickly called for a delay, lasting five minutes and ending with the Australian’s substitution for Jonathan Pérez. He was not given a booking for the offense.
Patrick Yazbek rn pic.twitter.com/ZsqlE3BNdk
— Nashville SC (@NashvilleSC) August 25, 2024
Yazbek will now be required to meet with a "restorative practices facilitator."
According to MLS, the restorative practice plan "may include multiple sessions between the alleged offender and the facilitator to understand the harm caused and potentially offer an opportunity for the alleged offender to make amends with those affected by his conduct, in addition to receiving education and personalized counseling."
Fans on social media react to Patrick Yazbek’s two-game suspension
Fans were not happy following Yazbek’s confirmed suspension for being found guilty of violating the league’s anti-discrimination policy, with many calling the suspension an exaggeration considering the meaning of the word in Australia and a completely unnecessary blow for Nashville in their hopes of reaching the MLS Playoffs.
One fan went as far as claiming he will not continue paying for the MLS Season Pass in protest of Yazbek’s suspension.
Yazbek gave the Austin player an Australian Hello.
The language policy was originally meant for language that is steeped in horrific and inhumane history.Cunt is not one of those words, ESPECIALLY considering it is not a major curse word in Australia. #EveryoneN https://t.co/WR1LrUxoWx
— NSC_Jake (@NSC_Jake) August 28, 2024
If Yazbek has been subbed off in the first half because he called an opposition player a cunt he needs to take that to some discrimination court or something. Genuine part of the Aussie vocabulary. Harden up Yanks https://t.co/K1joNeQAa9
— Kieran L (@kieran_shaker) August 25, 2024
Australian player Pat Yazbek has been forced to be subbed out of the game and given a 2 match ban for calling someone a “cunt”
Albanese needs to make representations to the US consul or take this to the human rights commission, this is clear racial oppression of an Aussie!! https://t.co/4fmNCLxHLm— banana republican (@_AR30_) August 30, 2024
Former USMNT interim head coach and current Nashville manager, BJ Callaghan, addressed the moment of the incident during a press conference ahead of their match against Orlando City on Saturday, saying the moment was a great learning opportunity for the squad in the process of ultimately getting ‘better from it’
"That was a great learning opportunity for all of us. We want to address it, talk about it, and at the end of the day, the ultimate goal is to get better from it” said Callaghan.
"That was a great learning opportunity for all of us. We want to address it, talk about it, and at the end of the day, the ultimate goal is to get better from it."
BJ Callaghan on how he addressed the incident involving Patrick Yazbek.No updates as of now from MLS.#EveryoneN pic.twitter.com/5Azb49mjYL
— Valair (@valairshabilla) August 29, 2024
