LA Galaxy forward Joseph Paintsil faced racial abuse following his team’s loss to LAFC in the Major League Soccer (MLS).
Paintsil featured in the highly-anticipated El Trafico clash between LA Galaxy and LAFC last Saturday. Despite playing the entire 90 minutes, his efforts couldn’t prevent LA Galaxy from succumbing to a 2-1 defeat against their city rivals.
We stand with you, Joseph. pic.twitter.com/4IflyLhJCO
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) April 8, 2024
Timothy Tillman netted the opener for LAFC just four minutes into the game, but Julian Aude leveled the score for LA Galaxy before the half-hour mark. However, Denis Bouanga’s penalty six minutes later secured the victory for LAFC.
In the aftermath of the match, some LAFC fans resorted to racial slurs against Paintsil on social media platforms.
LA Galaxy expressed solidarity with Paintsil and condemned the racial abuse, confirming that they reported the incident to Major League Soccer (MLS).
A statement from the club read, “LA Galaxy forward Joseph Paintsil was the victim of a racist social media incident following Saturday’s match against LAFC. The club stands with Joseph and anyone who has faced racial abuse through social platforms or anywhere else. The incident was immediately reported to Major League Soccer. We are also working with MLS to ensure Joseph has all the resources and support he needs at this time. There is no place for racism in our community, in our league or anywhere else in society.”
Paintsil joined LA Galaxy from Belgian side KRC Genk in late February and has swiftly established himself as a key player, contributing to two goals and two assists since his arrival.
