Sergi Palencia celebrates after a goal against the Sporting Kansas City at BMO Stadium on September ... [+] 25, 2024 in Los Angeles. Getty Images for USSF The good news on Tuesday is that LAFC defender Sergi Palencia has been cleared of using a term that violates Concacaf’s policy on discriminatory language, following an explosive incident and subsequent investigation in last week’s Concacaf Champions Cup match against the Colorado Rapids. The first two paragraphs of Concacaf’s statement: Following a thorough review of match officials’ reports, available match footage and audios, and the respective positions of both clubs, The Concacaf Disciplinary Committe has cleared Los Angeles FC player Sergio Palencia of any disciminatory action. While the evidence confirms that the interaction between Palencia and Coloradio Rapids player Chidozie Awaziem involved inappropriate language, it is clear to the Committee that the word reported by the Colorado Rapids in its official position to Concacaf was not used. Awaziem clearly believed that Palencia had said something that violated the policy (dealing potentially with race, gender, sexual orientation and/or or religion) during the late stages of the match. And match referee Pierre-Luc Lauziere clearly turned to the use of the protocols used in similar incidents in MLS matches between 2021 and 2023. But from there, the situation went off the rails. Colorado Rapids manager Chris Armas chose not to address the incident until reporters asked him directly about it, and even then was somewhat vague with use of the phrase “derogatory remark.” His counterpart Steve Cherundolo wasn’t much clearer about the allegations toward his player. And worse, it took nearly 12 hours for Concacaf to issue an official statement on the matter, and the clubs even longer to follow suit. That was in stark contrast to how the MLS communications team has handled such situations, in which communication about the allegations and impending investigation was much more straightforward. MORE FOR YOU Google Starts ‘Silently’ Tracking Your Phone—How To Stop It Trump Threatens More Tariffs Against Canada—Here’s How The New Levies Could Impact Prices Google’s Gmail Update—You Need A New Email Address Hopefully A Learning Moment There are probably a couple lessons here Concacaf needs to learn, based on how this was handled. The first – and maybe most important – is that it is possible to clearly communicate the nature of the allegations have been made while also making sure the accused player has due process. Nothing has been said officially in this regard, but perhaps some of the apparent hesitancy of coaches or Concacaf representatives to speak publicly on the matter in the immediate aftermath was based on speculation that the likely true nature of events involved some sort of misunderstanding. That potential always exists in the fog of war that can accompany intense athletic competition. But it can’t be an excuse to forgo clear communication, because it gives the public an appearance that there is either a lack of confidence in the ability to enforce such claims, or a desire to cover up or minimize the nature of the allegations. The second is that there needs to be more forward communication to fans that the potential for mix-ups in these kind of situations is very real, and not merely an explanation used by a player, coach or other participant trying to avoid punishment. That potential exists even moreso in soccer than in most other North American pro sports, given the limitless potential for mixing of languages, accents and even disparity of meanings based on dialect. Consider the backgrounds of the two players involved alone. Awaziem is born in Nigera, where the official language is English but tribal dialects are also spoken. He has played professionally previously in Portugal, Spain, France and Croatia. Palencia is from the Catalonia region of Spain, where both Spanish and Catalan are spoken, and has also previously played professionally in France. These factors that need understood internally and communicated to fans. But again, they are not good excuses for weak or delayed response. MLS An Industry Leader Fortunately, MLS generally appears to be ahead of the curve in this regard. Last week’s feeling of confusion and even institutional suspicion generally hasn’t accompanied previous incidents in MLS matches. It may have even been immensely fortunate that Lauziere, an MLS referee, was in charge. While it’s not entirely clear how a referee from a different league may have behaved, the protocol MLS uses was created in-house, not upon the advice of Concacaf or FIFA. Concacaf likely had obstacles to overcome in this situation regarding manpower or familiarity relative to MLS. That’s only reason to lean more on its American and Canadian domestic league partner to develop its own best practices. Hopefully it will, and hopefully the result is that – if another unfortunate accusation is levied – the next several hours don’t feel like a potential cover-up. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Editorial StandardsForbes Accolades