Thu, September 24, 2026
Columbus Crew 2 head coach dismissed due to sexism
Major League Soccer (MLS) club, Columbus Crew, have fired their reserve team head coach, 41-year-old Federico Higuain, after he allegedly refused to let go of a female referee’s hand, and told her: “Don’t forget, this is a man’s game.” MLS is the highest level of professional men's soccer in the United States and Canada, and Higuain had also spent eight seasons with Columbus Crew as a player between 2012-2019. He started coaching Columbus Crew 2, the reserve team, in 2025. He is also the older brother of former Real Madrid player, Gonzalo Higuain.
The incident occurred during the Columbus Crew 2 vs Huntsville City FC game in the MLS NEXT Pro on 23 August, MLS Next Pro being the league for MLS-affiliated reserve sides. Following the incident, Higuain was sent off and handed a two-match suspension. He returned to the team earlier this month and coached in three additional games. Now, in a recent update, Columbus Crew have sacked Higuain.
General Manager of Columbus Crew, Issa Tall, expressed: “We determined it's in the best interest of our club, players and support staff to dismiss Federico Higuain from his responsibilities…
After conversations this week and further assessing the past month, our club's standards of what's expected from a leader for one of our teams have not been met.”
The Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) voiced that the league should have suspended Higuain for longer than 2 games. It expressed: “A male head coach committed two deliberate acts of physical abuse and sexism against a female official - squeezing her hand and refusing to let go after being told to stop three times…
This physical intimidation was compounded by a demeaning, sexist remark to the official: ‘Don't forget, this is a man's game’…
Women make every level of this game better. They should not have to endure intimidation or degrading comments to prove it…
Our female officials have proven their excellence on the world stage. They deserve the same respect, dignity, and safe working environment as every other official.”
