Refs’ union rebukes Thorns coach, NWSL
The Professional Soccer Referees Association released a statement Wednesday condemning Portland Thorns coach Mark Parsons for his actions following a match in North Carolina on March 24 and criticizing the National Women’s Soccer League for their handling of the incident.
The Professional Soccer Referees Association, the certified labor union representing officials employed by PRO, contends that Parsons “squeezed a hidden clump of dirt and grass” into the hands of an official when going to shake hands with the referees after the game. The PSRA claims that the action was “willful, intentional and insulting.”
Prior to the release of PSRA’s statement, Parsons told the media that he had been incorrectly accused. He do not discuss the specifics of the incident. The Thorns did not release any additional statements following PSRA’s statement Wednesday.
“Maybe put myself in a difficult spot,” Parsons said. “Obviously, we disagreed unbelievably strongly about what the decision was or what the accusation was, which I’m not going to talk about.”
Parsons was immediately sent off by officials following the incident on March 24 and handed an automatic onegame suspension.
The National Women’s Soccer League later announced that it would be issuing Parsons a fine and suspending him for an additional game due to the incident. But after the Thorns appealed, the NWSL made the decision to lift the second game of the suspension.
The PSRA said in its statement that it was strongly opposed to the NWSL’s decision to lift the second game of the suspension. They wrote that they believed that the NWSL missed an opportunity to send a “strong message” that unprofessional actions won’t be tolerated.
“The appeal was handled in a haphazard manner that does not stand up to basic scrutiny. Unfortunately, the investigation of this appeal seems to fit a pattern of inadequate, too-lenient investigations by the league into inappropriate coach behavior,” the PSRA wrote.
Parsons, on the other hand, praised the NWSL’s handling of the appeal process Wednesday.