Soccer Fans Accused Of Racist 'Monkey Chants' In Leesburg

LEESBURG, VA — A New York Red Bulls II player accused fans of Loudoun United FC, the second division team of DC United, of shouting racist chants at a Black player on his team during Tuesday’s match at Segra Field in Leesburg.

Mandela Egbo, who scored the winning goal of the match for the New York Red Bulls II on a penalty kick, tweeted about the racist chanting after the game.

“One of our young strikers kept his ultimate cool when monkey chants were aimed at him by these same section of fans behind the goal,” Egbo wrote. “I would hope that audio from the whole second half’s footage is being listened to very very closely by the powers that be.”

The USL Championship league said Wednesday it is investigating “allegations of racial abuse by fans” directed toward a New York Red Bulls II player and that “every effort to identify potential offenders will be made.”

“Hate has no place in our sport, our stadiums, or our society,” the league said.

Loudoun United FC thanked Egbo for bringing the incident to the team’s attention. In a statement Wednesday, the team said it is investigating the allegation, and any fan found to be involved in the incident will be handed a lifetime ban from any event at Segra Field.

The incident reportedly occurred in a section of Segra Field where members of Loudoun United’s fan club congregate, LoudounNow reported.

The fan club, called the Loudoun Stampede, issued a statement in which it asked anyone who heard such noises to reach out to the group.

"We take this claim extremely seriously and not only condemn such racist behavior, we will work [with] Loudoun United and the USL investigation to ban fans that conducted themselves in such a manner," the fan club said.

But the fan club said it believes Egbo's claim of "monkey chants" aimed at his teammate "to be a case of misinterpretation."