P.E.I. soccer player alleges on-field racism by official in Division 1 finals
CBC
A soccer player on P.E.I. is speaking out about what he characterizes as a racist incident during a Division 1 senior finals game earlier this month.
The game took place at the University of Prince Edward Island soccer field on Aug. 7, between the mens' teams TSI (which stands for The Soccer Initiative) and The Local FC (short for Football Club). Most of the players on TSI are Black.
Daniel Ohaegbu, who plays for TSI, said tensions were already running high during the game when he was hit in the chest by one of the officials.
"I was slapped and pushed by an assistant referee, but I would like to point out that this is not just about me. This is an accumulation of racist events that have been happening for the past, in my opinion, 10 years," said Ohaegbu.
Charlottetown Police were called to the scene, but a spokesperson told CBC News the situation had calmed down by the time officers arrived and no charges were laid.
CBC News reached out to the coach of The Local FC, the team TSI was facing in the Aug. 7 game, but did not receive a response.
Allegations of on-field racism were brought forward in 2021, but the P.E.I. Soccer Association said they couldn't be substantiated.
Ohaegbu said there have been other more recent incidents, some involving officials, which he and some of his teammates believe were racially motivated.
For example, he said that at a game involving the club's Division 2 team last year, a referee told one of the players "he's ready to take it outside of the pitch," which the TSI player considered an invitation to fight.
Ohaegbu said when a complaint was filed with P.E.I. Soccer about the comment, the association said there was nothing it could do because it is short of referees.
In another alleged incident, Ohaegbu said an adult referee grabbed a 17-year-old player by the shirt.
"The officials continue to target Black and Brown men and this association does nothing about it," Ohaegbu said.
No one with P.E.I. Soccer was made available in response to an interview request from CBC News, but in an email the organization said it's investigating the Aug. 7 incident.
"As set out in our abuse policy, P.E.I. Soccer has zero tolerance for any type of abuse," the email said.
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