MLS player eligible for season after allegation of racial slur could not be confirmed

D.C. United forward Taxi Fountas will be allowed to play in the upcoming Major League Soccer season after the league was unable to verify allegations that he used a racial slur against another player.

MLS opened an investigation after Inter Miami CF defender Aimé Mabika accused Fountas of using racially abusive language toward him during a game on Sept. 18. 

While video of the incident showed Mabika reacting to “something he believed he heard from Fountas,” MLS said on Tuesday that it could not independently confirm what Fountas said at the moment.

Fountas, who sat out two October matches amid the investigation, will be eligible to play in the 2023 season, the league said.

MLS noted that all players and employees undergo regular discrimination and anti-harassment training but also said it plans to examine its policies on abusive and discriminatory language.

“D.C. United are committed to continuing to do the work needed to uphold one of our club’s core values that racism has no home in our sport and we must be proactive in our efforts to create a place where all feel welcome and respected,” the team said in a statement.