CINCINNATI (ENQUIRER) - FC Cincinnati center back Matt Miazga’s season is over as a result of his actions following the Nov. 4 match against the New York Red Bulls, according to our media partners at the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Major League Soccer officials announced Wednesday that Miazga would be sanctioned following the league’s investigation into his post-match behavior Nov. 4 at Red Bull Arena. Miazga will be suspended three matches, with any remaining games to be served during the 2024 regular-season and fined an undisclosed amount after the league’s investigation into allegations put forth by the Professional Soccer Referees Association on Nov. 7.
As part of the sanctions, Miazga will also undergo a behavioral assessment through the Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health (SABH) Program. He is required to comply with the recommendations of agreed-upon providers. According to an MLS news release, Miazga may petition for a reduction in suspension based on continued commitment and compliance with any recommended treatment programs.
A source with knowledge of the disciplinary proceedings said FC Cincinnati appealed Miazga’s case without success.
A league source with knowledge of the investigation told The Enquirer that video footage from Red Bull Arena was pertinent to the investigation’s findings.
The sanctions bookended a three-plus-week saga. During that time, Miazga served a one-match suspension for yellow-card accumulation but the question of further discipline stemming from the Nov. 4 match loomed over him and the club.
Miazga will now miss the rest of the postseason for FC Cincinnati, which on Saturday hosts Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference semifinal at TQL Stadium.
At least one of the three games to be served on suspension will carry over to 2024. Miazga will miss the first two regular-season matches next year if FCC is eliminated this weekend.
The weeks-long controversy was touched off by PSRA’s Nov. 4 thread on X, formerly Twitter, in which the referees’ union stated an unnamed player forcibly entered the referees’ locker room following the Cincinnati-Red Bulls match and needed to be forcibly removed by Red Bull Arena stadium security while acting in an “aggressive and hostile manner.”
The PSRA, which is the referees’ union, called for MLS to take appropriate disciplinary action. “This is an unacceptable and, as we recall, unprecedented violation of league policy and sporting integrity,” the PSRA stated in its thread via X. “Violations like this will not be tolerated.”
The player was later identified as Miazga.
Sources disputed aspects of PSRA’s account of the incident. FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan later spoke out against the allegations, calling them “fabricated.”
Exactly how forcible Miazga was during the exchange with the refereeing crew as he sought a post-match dialogue regarding the second yellow card he received in the Nov. 4 match was called into question following PSRA’s release of information from the Nov. 7 incident.
A league source with direct knowledge of the events at Red Bull Arena took issue with the characterization of Miazga being aggressive and hostile while forcibly removed, telling The Enquirer stadium security was not involved and a member of FC Cincinnati’s communications department helped move Miazga along from the area of the referees’ locker room.
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