The full repercussions of Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini’s postgame comments following the playoff exit on Sunday have yet to be felt.
In a moment of chaos at BC Place in extra time with the Whitecaps down 1-0 and needing a goal to save their season, referee Tim Ford collided with Vancouver defender Alessandro Schopf, helping to spring an LAFC counterattack in the other direction.
OH MY!
WHAT HAVE WE JUST WITNESSED 🤯 pic.twitter.com/BgWbkRTCmt
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 6, 2023
While LAFC’s ensuing goal was ultimately ruled offside, the moment effectively ended any shot of a Vancouver comeback, with Sartini tossed from the match following a tirade at Ford.
Following the game, Sartini had called Ford a “disaster”, while also making an offhand comment joking about the official ending up “facedown in False Creek.”
MLS is expected to hold a lengthy review process while they comb through video of everything that transpired on and off the pitch.
Sartini addressed the comments he made following the LAFC match at the Whitecaps’ end-of-season press conference on Tuesday.
“I want to clarify that the bad choice of words that I made was to place some irony on myself and on the behaviour on the pitch when I got sent off,” Sartini said with his opening statement.
“That attempt that I had to play ironically to remark to myself that I don’t have to do those kinds of things, brought me to make a bad choice in the words that I chose. So for that reason, I’m sorry. I should have done a better judgement to choose the right words. There was no malicious or violent intent in my words. I did a mistake and I’m sorry for that.”
The 46-year-old has reached out to The Professional Referee Association (PSRA) but, as of Tuesday morning, had yet to hear back.
The PSRA released a statement regarding Sartini’s comments on Monday.
Vancouver Head Coach Vanni Sartini's postgame comments last night are disgusting & take the rhetoric against Officials – at all levels – to dangerous levels. His comments go against every value in sports. It is our expectation MLS undertakes a rigorous disciplinary review here.
— PSRA Officials (@PSRAofficials) November 6, 2023
Sartini is not the only member of the Whitecaps organization that could be facing a suspension or a fine from MLS.
Multiple Vancouver players, including defender Sam Adekugbe and goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka, made contact with Ford.
Adekugbe and Takaoka could face disciplinary action. On Wednesday, Adekugbe addressed what happened during the final minutes of Sunday’s match at BC Place.
“Yeah it’s a difficult situation of course,” Adekugbe told Daily Hive. “Referees are in a tough position, and people get emotional. I was probably over-emotional at the end of the game and during the game, but it’s the nature of the sport. I’m not sure where the league is at, [with] what suspension or what review. I guess I’ll get a letter soon. Obviously, it was disappointing, but we still did lose the game, it can’t all be about the referee. We have to take some accountability as well.”
The Whitecaps will be holding an internal review of what happened.
“We have a very young team and staff,” Whitecaps CEO and Sporting Director Axel Schuster said. “They have not also acted in the right way. We allow mistakes to happen. The most important thing for me is that we learn from this mistake and we do better the next time.”
This is not the first time Sartini has been critical of a referee this year.
Sartini offered the following comments after the Whitecaps 3-1 loss to St. Louis City SC in May:
#VWFC’s Vanni Sartini’s postgame comments on referee Sergii Boiko.#STLvVAN#AllforCITY#MLS pic.twitter.com/69a17uSfCT
— Har Journalist (@HarJournalist) May 29, 2023
The MLS disciplinary committee fined Sartini an undisclosed amount for violating the league’s “public criticism” policy.
In light of Sartini’s most recent postgame comments regarding Ford, does the former feel that he needs to rein in some of his comments?
“Every moment is a learning moment,” Sartini said. “You need to learn and you need to be better in the future. It’s not only about a quote. You’re right I was very angry in the game when it happened. Even if I thought we were basically having an injustice. I didn’t do my team any favour to get sent off. We need to work always on ourselves.”
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