DC United have been fined following their appointment of Wayne Rooney as it has been revealed that the former Manchester United captain's appointment to the role broke the MLS diversity policy.
The fine for the breach of policy totals $25,000 (£21,812) and concerns a failure to fully comply with the league's hiring policy when appointing the former Derby boss in the summer. It has been confirmed by the league that when Rooney was hired to replace Hernan Losada in July, the club broke the rule which states: “the finalist pool includes two or more candidates from underrepresented groups, whereby at least one candidate must be either Black or African-American.”
The policy was adhered to in terms of the initial interview process, with the club meeting two candidates from under-represented groups. However, one candidate was not available to take the job and as such could not be considered as part of the 'finalist pool'.
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There is special dispensation available for such circumstances when the policy cannot be adhered to, but DC United failed to inform the MLS as such and have now been penalised for their failure to do so.
A statement from the league read: “As a result, the club remained obligated to interview an additional candidate from an underrepresented group as part of the “finalist pool” or request a waiver from MLS detailing the extenuating circumstances that would not allow them to have done so.
“D.C. United, who announced Wayne Rooney as their new head coach on July 12, failed to do so, resulting in the fine.”
Rooney's start to life as boss has been difficult, with only two wins in his time as head coach leading to a bottom place finish in the Eastern Conference at the end of the regular MLS season.
The club have accepted the fine and released a statement of their own, this read: “D.C. United respect Major League Soccer’s decision in regard to the club’s process of hiring its new head coach earlier this season.
“As the league stated, the club’s recent head coach hiring process included two candidates in the finalist pool, per the league policy, from underrepresented groups, one of whom was Black or African American. One of the finalists from an underrepresented group ultimately withdrew from the process, thereby making them unavailable.
“The candidate in question accepted the club’s request to interview them and participated in the interview. The candidate was asked the same questions as all other finalists, inclusive of questions around tactics, playing style, staffing, leadership, and perspective on how they would coach the team.
“Subsequent to that discussion, the candidate informed the club that it was their preference not to accept the role midseason, but rather to join the club with a full offseason in order to implement their system of play. Upon learning this at the conclusion of the interview, the club focused its attention on the remaining finalist candidates for the midseason head coaching opportunity.
“D.C. United have made it a fundamental practice to prioritize interviewing candidates from underrepresented groups for all leadership positions, inclusive of coaches, across the organization. This practice has resulted in the club having one of the most diverse leadership groups across Major League Soccer.”
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