Professional soccer player Aleksandar Katai was cut from the LA Galaxy Friday after his wife posted “racist and violent” commentary about protesters on social media.
“The LA Galaxy have mutually agreed to part ways with midfielder Aleksandar Katai,” the team said in a statement Friday.
That followed after the team said Wednesday that it “strongly condemned” the “racist and violent social media posts” made by his wife Tea Katai on her Instagram story board earlier this week.
In her alarming posts, Tea made clear she had a problem with protesters who took to the streets to voice frustration over the death of George Floyd and other unarmed black people at the hands of police.
She called the protesters “disgusting cattle” in one message written in Serbian and issued a profane call to “kill” them, the Associate Press reported.
“The LA Galaxy stands firmly against racism of any kind, including that which suggests violence or seeks to demean the efforts of those in pursuit of racial equality,” the team said in a statement.
The MLS player, 29, tried to apologize for his wife’s racist rant with his own post Wednesday.
“The posts made by my wife, Tea Katai, on her social media platforms were unacceptable. These views are not ones that I share and are not tolerated in my family,” his statement said.
“Racism, particularly toward the black community, is not only prevalent in the United States and Europe, but across the globe. I strongly condemn white supremacy, racism and violence towards people of color. Black lives matter,” he wrote.
“This is a mistake from my family, and I take full responsibility. I will ensure that my family and I take the necessary actions to learn, understand, listen and understand the black community,” he said.
“I understand that it will take time to earn back the support of the people of Los Angeles,” he continued. “I am committed to putting in the necessary work to learn from these mistakes and be a better ally and advocate for equality going forward.”
The statement wasn’t enough to stop Galaxy fans from calling for his dismissal.
On Thursday, several gathered by the David Beckham statue outside the Galaxy’s stadium holding a banner reading, “No Racists in Our Club.” The sign also had a circle and a red line through No. 7, Katai’s uniform number.
With News Wire Services