Flamengo's Under-17 team has withdrawn from the GA Cup and will not participate in the third-place match, MLS Next announced on Sunday. The decision came after a contentious semifinal against the Philadelphia Union, where accusations of misconduct violating tournament rules, including the use of discriminatory language, were made.
Following the semifinal, which the Union won 2-0, tournament organizers MLS Next initiated an investigation into the alleged misconduct. Flamengo opted to withdraw from the tournament rather than await the investigation results, citing concerns over the reported racial insults directed at some of their players.
