American soccer’s locked-out referees union protested outside MLS' headquarters yesterday, "demanding better pay and benefits." A few hours into the protest, the crowd was "joined by members of a Long Island-based Teamsters Union local." They brought "an inflatable pig that they attached to the roof of a Jeep, and one of the referees decorated it with a jersey." There was also a protest "at the same hour" in Dallas, where the Professional Referee Organization "has been training the replacement refs." Yesterday, MLS acknowledged the replacement refs "could be of lesser quality by postponing the implementation of some new rules " -- time limits on injury stoppages and substitutions and the announcement of video review decisions in stadiums. One source said the replacements "hadn’t been trained on the new rules" ( PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 2/21 ).
🐷 UNIONS LAUNCH PIG OUTSIDE MLS HQ
— World Soccer Talk (@worldsoccertalk) February 21, 2024
Protestors are picketing against MLS PRO imposing a lockout of experienced referees in MLS. As a result, MLS is using scab referees to officiate games beginning with the #Messi𓃵 game tonight. #MLSisBack
📸 @thegoalkeeper pic.twitter.com/LfmLRjcl00
PSRA members picket in Dallas amid @MLS / @PRO lockout. The league will use replacement referees to start the season, including tonight’s Inter Miami-RSL match and the weekend slate, as well. | @wfaa @wfaasports #MLSisBack pic.twitter.com/MKeg4lDJ5H
— Paul B. Livengood II (@IamLivengood) February 21, 2024
