The confrontation happened after the final whistle, beyond regulation and injury time, and now the fallout has reached well beyond MLS NEXT Pro. A refereeing dispute involving Columbus Crew 2 coach Federico Higuaín and a female official has now drawn criticism from professional referees across North American sports – including the NBA.
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The Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA), which represents MLS and USL officials, publicly challenged MLS NEXT Pro’s handling of the incident on Sunday. According to the union, Higuaín allegedly squeezed a female referee’s hand and continued holding it after she asked him three times to stop. The PSRA also said the interaction included the remark, “Don’t forget, this is a man’s game.”
The incident reportedly occurred after Columbus Crew 2’s Aug. 23 match against Huntsville City FC. Higuaín was shown a red card and subsequently received a two-game suspension from MLS NEXT Pro, along with restorative-practice training.
That punishment, however, is where the controversy grew.
The PSRA argued that the discipline did not go far enough, pointing to U.S. Soccer’s policies on referee abuse and discrimination. The union said the applicable standards call for at least three games for a forceful grab and for discriminatory conduct. It described the league’s response as falling “drastically short” of the appropriate message.
Joining them on the same note, some of the fans wrote, “Hey @MLS this is really bad and you need to fix this. Protect ref’s. This coach should be banned from the sport. If he’s doing this in the public eye who knows what he doing outside of the public eye.”
MLS NEXT Pro has defended its process. The league said it immediately investigated the reported incident, determined that Higuaín’s behavior violated league policies and added discipline beyond the red card issued during the match. It also said Higuaín had served the two-game suspension and was participating in a multi-session restorative program.
Seeing this, another fan wrote, “Nah forget suspension. Ban that coach for life.”
The Columbus Crew likewise said it cooperated with the investigation and accepted the additional discipline, while reiterating its commitment to respect and inclusivity.
The NBA Referees account publicly showed solidarity with the PSRA, posting: “We stand in solidarity with our Brothers and Sisters in @PSRAofficials. If the League won’t uphold its own standards, who will protect the officials enforcing them?”
The message quickly became another layer of the debate, particularly because the dispute is not simply about a disagreement between a coach and an official. It has raised broader questions about how sports organizations protect referees when those interactions cross into physical intimidation.
Others questioned, “Could that action by the coach be considered assault and come with a criminal charge as well?”
U.S. Soccer’s current referee-abuse framework states that physical and non-physical abuse have no place in the sport and outlines sanctions based on the severity and circumstances of misconduct. “The physical assault should be fired at minimum,” wrote another fan.
Higuaín, meanwhile, is no stranger to the Columbus organization. The former Argentine midfielder spent eight seasons with the Crew and became one of the club’s most recognizable players before eventually moving into coaching. He returned to the organization as Crew 2’s head coach ahead of the 2025 season.
The supporters’ group CapyBrava has also called for Higuaín to no longer be associated with the Crew.
For now, MLS NEXT Pro says it stands by its investigation and disciplinary process. The PSRA, however, is asking the league to reconsider how the incident was handled.
And with NBA referees now publicly backing their counterparts in soccer, a confrontation that began with a post-match handshake has become a much larger conversation about where the line should be drawn when officials are targeted.