Columbus Crew dismisses reserve coach Federico Higuaín after referee incident
The short version
- Columbus Crew fired Crew 2 coach Federico Higuaín late Tuesday.
- He had served a two-game suspension after an Aug. 23 MLS NEXT Pro incident involving a female referee.
- The PSRA said a coach squeezed an official's hand and said, "Don't forget, this is a man's game."
- GM Issa Tall said standards for a team leader were not met.
The MLS club parted ways with Crew 2 coach Federico Higuaín following an August incident involving a female match official in an MLS NEXT Pro game.
Columbus Crew have fired Federico Higuaín, head coach of the club's reserve side, Crew 2. The dismissal was announced late Tuesday and follows an incident involving a female match official during an MLS NEXT Pro match on Aug. 23 between Crew 2 and Huntsville City FC.
Higuaín, the younger brother of former Argentina and Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuaín, had recently completed a two-game suspension tied to the incident, according to local media reports. He is a former Crew player who took charge of Crew 2 in January 2025.
The Professional Soccer Referees Association, which represents officials in the United States and Canada, said in a social media statement that a male coach grabbed a female official's hand, refused to release it, and told her, "Don't forget, this is a man's game." The statement did not name Higuaín directly.
The referees' group also criticized the two-game ban issued by MLS NEXT Pro, calling it drastically short of the proper message and saying female officials deserve the same respect and safe working conditions as their peers.
Crew general manager Issa Tall said in a statement that the club determined dismissal was in the best interest of the club, its players and support staff, adding that the standards expected of a leader had not been met. The club's statement did not directly reference the August incident.
