Man United player suspended for making homophobic insult

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MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United midfielder Jack Fletcher has been suspended for six games for making a homophobic insult about an opponent, the club said Wednesday.

Fletcher, 18, was shown a red card by the referee during a reserve match against Barnsley on Oct. 21.

According to details of the incident published by the English Football Association this week, he admitted to calling an opponent a “gay boy."

Fletcher, who is the son of former United player Darren Fletcher, was charged with an aggravated breach of the FA’s rules regarding insulting words or behavior because the alleged comments referred to sexual orientation.

He was given the standard minimum ban of six games, fined around $2,000 and ordered to take part in educational training.

Fletcher, who is the son of former United player Darren Fletcher, apologized for the incident.

“I am truly sorry for the offensive word that I used in the heat of the moment," he said in a statement. “Despite the fact that I had no intention to use the term as a homophobic insult, I completely understand that such language is unacceptable and immediately apologized after the game.”

United said it had worked with Fletcher to “strengthen his understanding of discriminatory language, and why it is harmful.”

It said Fletcher had served three games of the suspension.

Fletcher's father won five Premier League titles and the Champions League during a distinguished career with United. He has gone on to hold numerous roles at the club, including technical director, and was recently interim coach after Ruben Amorim was fired in January. He is currently an academy coach.

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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer