Colorado Rapids condemn ‘detestable’ chant from crowd
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – The Colorado Rapids condemn a “despicable” chant that took place at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Saturday.
The Major League Soccer club released a statement on Wednesday saying it “strongly condemns the use of that word.”
“We do not take this matter lightly and have commenced an internal review, which is being conducted by the club’s senior management [Kroenke Sports & Entertainment]”, the statement said.
The Rapids added that the club is “exploring every avenue to ensure this chant is eradicated from our stadium.”
The Colorado Rapids (0-1-1) played their home game against Sporting Kansas City (0-1-1) at Dick Sporting Goods Park on Saturday night. Rapids’ William Yarbrough finished the game with a career-high 11 saves to help the club to a goalless tie against Kansas City.
Here’s the Rapids’ full statement on Saturday’s chant:
“As a club that prides itself on its inclusive values and providing a safe and welcoming environment for all, we were incredibly disappointed to learn that the vile P chant surfaced during our game on Saturday. We condemn the use of that word in the strongest terms possible – it has no place in our sport or our community, let alone our stadium.
We do not take this matter lightly and have commenced an internal review to be conducted by club management and KSE. As part of this review, we are conducting an assessment of all related processes and exploring all options to ensure this chant is removed from our stadium. At the same time, we are working with our support groups, who have also publicly condemned this chant, to prevent something like this from happening again.”
Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski
Dick’s Sporting Goods Park during the first half of an MLS soccer game on Saturday March 4, 2023 in Commerce City, Colorado.
Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski
Fans at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park during the first half of an MLS soccer game on Saturday, March 4, 2023, in Commerce City, Colorado.
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