Footballer fined and banned for calling Robbie Rogers ‘queer’ during match

A football player who using homophobic slurs against out gay player Robbie Rogers has been fined and banned.

Richard Chaplow of the Orange County Blues was banned for two games and fined an undisclosed amount for the verbal attack on LA Galaxy’s Rogers.

RobbieRogers

The England under-21s international player was disciplined for “offensive and abusive language directed at another player during his team’s game against the LA Galaxy II on Aug. 20.”

The 31-year-old had been playing against Galaxy II, the team Rogers currently plays for as he recovers from injury.

The former Leeds United player Rogers said he was called a “queer” by Chaplow repeatedly.

Rogers, the only out Major League Soccer (MLS) player, said the exchange took place in the last 15 minutes of the match.

“The USL has zero tolerance for this type of behavior,” United Soccer League president Jake Edwards said in a statement.

“We cannot, nor will we, condone any language that is counter to the values we have instilled throughout the USL.”

The former Leeds United player came out as gay in 2013, and after retiring from English football signed a contract to play for US team LA Galaxy.

The player has always maintained his sexuality has not been an issue while playing for the team, and that there have been no homophobic incidents.

International footballing body FIFA recently punished seven national teams after fans were found to have used homophobic chants.

Rogers and his boyfriend earlier this year welcomed a beautiful baby boy.

The US footballer has previously lashed out at FIFA for awarding the World Cup to countries with anti-gay laws and poor human rights records, such as Russia and Qatar.

Last year he promised to be “extremely flamboyant”, when he travels to the 2018 World Cup, set to take place in Russia.

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