A West Ham legends side staged a walk-off at a football tournament in the US overnight, following an alleged racial slur by an opposition player.
The incident occurred during a game against Dallas United at ‘The Soccer Tournament’, a seven-a-side competition in North Carolina.
Former West Ham players, including Anton Ferdinand, Luis Boa Morte and Frank Nouble, left the pitch after one of the Dallas side allegedly used the N-word.
A West Ham statement confirmed: “A member of the team heard a racist term directed at them by an opposition player. The players made a collective decision to walk off the pitch as a team in support of our player. As a club, everyone at West Ham United stands shoulder to shoulder in solidarity against all forms of discrimination and abuse.”
The moment when West Ham United walked off the @TST7v7 field, with Chris Paul talking to Anton Ferdinand as the Hammers walk off the field.
— Andrew Jerell Jones, Luke 1:37 (IG:twdbk3) (@sluggahjells) June 2, 2023
Just Yikes #TST7v7 pic.twitter.com/RxorEljjhi
This morning, tournament organisers confirmed that Dallas United, an amateur side from the city, who have no affiliation to MLS outfit FC Dallas, have withdrawn from the competition.
In a statement they said: “After conducting an investigation we have concluded that Dallas United violated TST’s code of conduct. We have been in dialogue with leadership from both clubs and we are all aligned that the best path forward is Dallas United withdrawing from competition. All parties involved are unified in wanting to make a statement against racial insensitivity.”
