(Vancouver) Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini was suspended for a total of six games by MLS on Thursday.
The sanction stems from his actions on the field and his post-match comments about the officiating, after his team was eliminated during the league playoffs.
Sartini called referee Tim Ford’s performance a “disgrace” and joked that he would be a suspect if Ford was found dead.
The comments were made after the Whitecaps’ 1-0 loss to LAFC on Nov. 5 in Vancouver.
In the 95th minute, Sartini received a red card and was ejected from the match by officials.
In addition to the automatic one-match suspension caused by a red card, MLS added five more games to the margin in its case.
The additional punishment results in particular from entering the field in a confrontational manner, as well as from public criticism after the match.
Sartini was also fined $20,000 and required to undergo a league-approved behavioral evaluation.
The North American soccer referees’ union blasted Sartini’s comments, calling them “disgusting” and adding that they took rhetoric against officials to a “dangerous new level.”
Sartini apologized for his comments during the Whitecaps’ end-of-season press briefing.
” I’m sorry. There was no malicious intent, Sartini said then. I could have done much better and I’m sorry. ยป
Sartini began managing the Whitecaps on an interim basis in 2021.
The 47-year-old Italian recently signed a new contract until the end of 2025.
