FC Cincinnati coach is under investigation by MLS for ‘extremely inappropriate comments’
FC Cincinnati coach Ron Jans is stepping away from the club as Major League Soccer investigates allegations that he made “extremely inappropriate comments.”
“Major League Soccer has been informed of a complaint filed with the MLS Players Association regarding FC Cincinnati head coach Ron Jans,” the league said in a statement. “The MLS league office, in cooperation with FC Cincinnati, has begun an investigation into the matter. Jans has stepped away from his coaching duties with the team while this matter is being investigated.”
MLS and FC Cincinnati did not reveal what the inappropriate comments were. The statement from the player’s association says the association was “recently made aware of extremely inappropriate comments” made by Jans.
Jans was hired by FC Cincinnati in August of last year, and he previously coached teams in the Dutch and Belgian leagues. He is from the Netherlands.
The team is currently in Florida for the team’s preseason camp and is preparing for a preseason game this Sunday against Nashville FC. The team’s regular season opener is against the New York City Red Bulls on March 1 and it’s unclear if Jans will be back with the team.
“When club leadership was made aware of the allegation, we were very surprised as building a caring and committed culture has been a focus of Ron’s leadership,” FC Cincinnati said in a statement.
“We want to fully understand the nature of the incident and allow for an environment for our players to speak freely to any locker room issues. Therefore, while both the Club and Major League Soccer work together, Ron will step away from the team during the investigation.”
FC Cincinnati said the team would have no further comment until the conclusion of the investigation.
