LAFC striker Adama Diomande wrote in an Instagram post that an opponent on the Portland Timbers called him “the ‘N’ word” during his team’s U.S. Open Cup match on Wednesday. Diomande came on in the second half as a substitute in his team’s 3-2 win, and while he exchanged a few words with Timbers players towards the end of the game, no altercation seemed out of the ordinary until his post.
“Today was the first time in my professional career that I was called the «N» word on the field,” Diomande wrote. “They will say sorry to me after the game and please let it go, but If I don’t say anything racism will just continue to grow.”
Diomande added that “the player (has) been reported.” It’s still unclear who that player is, though the incident might have occurred when an upset Diomande was involved in a very minor-seeming skirmish with several Portland players in the final minutes of the match.
The Portland Timbers, who are already protesting the match’s result due to the number of foreign players in LAFC’s squad, released a statement saying that they are looking into the accusations.