Aleksandar Katai #10 of Chicago Fire advances against New York City FC at SeatGeek Stadium on May 25, 2019 in Bridgeview, Illinois. The Fire and NYCFC tied 1-1. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images/AFP
MLS club LA Galaxy Wednesday condemned a series of racist social media posts by the wife of their Serbian midfielder Aleksandar Katai and demanded their immediate removal.
In the now-deleted Instagram posts, Tea Katai reportedly mocked the Black Lives Matter movement and urged violence against people protesting over the death of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer.
“Earlier today, the LA Galaxy were made aware of a series of racist and violent social media posts by Tea Katai, the wife of LA Galaxy midfielder Aleksandar Katai,” the club said.
“The LA Galaxy strongly condemned the social posts and requested their immediate removal. The LA Galaxy stands firmly against racism of any kind, including that which suggests violence or seeks to demean the efforts of those in pursuit of racial equality,” the soccer club said.
A statement from the LA Galaxy on Tea Katai. pic.twitter.com/tfGDMUomIo
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) June 4, 2020
As in dozens of cities across the United States, thousands have joined demonstrations in Los Angeles against racism and police brutality.
“The LA Galaxy stand with communities of color, and especially the Black community, in the protests and fight against systemic racism, social inequality, bigotry and violence,” the team said.
“Now is the time to reflect on our role in helping fight racism in our community.”
The Galaxy said it would meet with Serbian international Katai on Thursday to “determine next steps” to take.
Katai later took to Instagram to apologize for his wife’s “unacceptable” posts.
“These views are not ones that I share and are not tolerated in my family,” the 29-year-old wrote.
“I will ensure that my family and I take the necessary actions to learn, understand, listen and support the black community,” he wrote.
“I am sorry for the pain these posts have caused the LA Galaxy family and all allies in the fight against racism.”
Katai started for the Galaxy for the first two games of the season before matches were suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He came to the Los Angeles club this season from the Chicago Fire and previously also played for Deportivo Alaves in the Spanish league.