Carleton University is investigating allegations that racist and homophobic slurs were yelled at players during the U Sports men’s soccer national championship at Carleton from Nov. 18 to 21.
Two players from the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds say they heard slurs used against their team during the tournament.
The players, whose identities are known by the Charlatan but were granted anonymity, said anti-Asian slurs were also directed at multiple UBC players during their quarterfinal game against the Carleton Ravens on Nov. 18.
Allegations from players and spectators of verbal abuse at nationals were first reported by 49 Sports.
“I’ve played at a lot of different levels throughout the years and I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve had a crowd yell homophobic or racist things,” one UBC player said. “[It] was just really shocking.”
Within the first 10 minutes of the game, the player said he began to hear racist and homophobic slurs from where Carleton fans were watching.
“It was loud enough and consistent enough where people in the stands [and] officials … had plenty of opportunities to hear the things that were being said,” the player said.
A different player said he heard anti-Asian slurs directed at him during the game but didn’t know where in the stands it was coming from.
“I tried to just put it under the rug while I was playing,” the player said.
One player said an individual on the Bronson Avenue side of the stadium verbally abused UBC players when they were on that side of the field. At the end of the game, the individual tried to stand behind the goal but was stopped by a referee, according to the player.
During the game, some fans threw receipt rolls onto the field, which came close to hitting players. At the time, UBC team captain Daniel Kaiser described the atmosphere as “claustrophobic.”
Michael Hoefler, co-president of the Carleton Men’s Soccer Alumni Association, also known as the Bronson Boys, declined the Charlatan’s request for comment in relation to the allegations.
After the quarterfinal game, some members of the Thunderbirds discussed what they heard during the game and brought the comments to head coach Mike Mosher, who brought those concerns to the tournament convenor, the players said.
“They were really upset by it, just at the fact that these awful comments were being directed to them,” a player said. “As a team, we were mostly just shocked by it all.”
Cape Breton Capers head coach Deano Morley, whose team played the Ravens in the semifinal, said in an email he “provided feedback to the appropriate people” but would not comment further on the allegations.
Jeff Sargeant, UBC Athletics media relations and communications coordinator, said in an email to the Charlatan that UBC is involved in the investigation.
“Mike [Mosher] and all involved are very pleased it’s being taken as seriously as it is with the intent to find those responsible and hold them to account,” Sargeant said. “We look forward to the results of this process.”
One player said Ravens soccer players themselves made no negative comments during the game and verbal abuse from the stands “shouldn’t represent the [Carleton] team.”
“They’re all great guys,” the player said.
The University of Montreal Carabins played against Carleton in the gold medal game. Montreal head coach Pat Raimondo told the Charlatan the chants he heard during the game were “quite respectful” but anything with a racist tone “needs to disappear from our game.”
Raimondo emphasized he was speaking from his own experiences and couldn’t comment on what other people experienced or thought.
Amid the allegations, the Carleton Men’s Soccer Alumni Association posted a statement to Twitter on Nov. 26. The association said it stands in solidarity with all Black, Indigenous, racialized and LGBTQ2S+ peoples and denounces all forms of discrimination.
“As an alumni association, we reaffirm our commitment to take action against racism and discrimination of any kind,” the statement reads. “We are committed to building a more respectful, inclusive, equitable and diverse soccer community.”
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
