LA Galaxy release Katai following wife’s racist comments

Aleksandar Katai started both MLS matches before the season was suspended

Aleksandar Katai has been released by LA Galaxy, two days after the club was made aware of racist comments posted by his wife on social media.

The MLS franchise announced their decision to mutually part ways with their new Serbian winger on Friday in a one-sentence news release.

On Wednesday, Galaxy had condemned the comments made by Tea Katai, who had posted on Instagram a photo with a caption written in Serbian urging police to kill protesters, another referring to protesters as disgusting cattle and a third sharing a racist meme.

Aleksandar Katai distanced himself from his wife’s posts late Wednesday night before a meeting with the club on Thursday.

Katai, who was signed by LA Galaxy as a free agent on December 31, said he did not share his wife’s views and they were not tolerated by his family.

The club’s fans reacted with online calls for his dismissal and, on Thursday, a handful of fans gathered by the David Beckham statue outside the club’s stadium holding a banner reading ‘No Racists in Our Club’ along with a circle and a red line through Katai’s squad number (7).

The 29-year-old had been participating in voluntary individual workouts this week with his team-mates at their training complex in Carson.

Katai, who had started the first two matches of the MLS season before it was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, was expected to be an important part of the team’s attacking line-up alongside Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez and Cristian Pavon.

Katai joined MLS with the Chicago Fire in 2018 after a career in Europe, including time with Serbian’s 1991 Champions League winners Red Star Belgrade.

He had 18 goals in his first two seasons in Chicago, who bought him from Alaves in Spain’s La Liga.

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