MLS club places Bruce Arena on leave over probe into ‘allegations of insensitive and inappropriate remarks’

The New England Revolution placed Bruce Arena on administrative leave on Tuesday following allegations he made “insensitive and inappropriate remarks.”

Arena was not at team activities on Sunday or Monday, and players were told he would not be around for some time, The Athletic reported. Technical director Curt Onalfo and assistant coach Richie Williams would help coach the squad in the interim with a Leagues Cup match against Atlas set for Thursday.

“The New England Revolution organization has placed Coach Arena on administrative leave as a result of an ongoing investigation being conducted by Major League Soccer into allegations of insensitive and inappropriate remarks,” the club said in a statement. 

“The organization takes any allegations of workplace misconduct extremely seriously and is working closely with the League and fully cooperating with its investigation.”

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It is unknown publicly what Arena was alleged to have said.

Arena is one of the most well known coaches on the American side of the sport. He is the all-time leader in wins in Major Leagues Soccer and has five MLS Cup titles. He coached the U.S. men’s national team from 1996 to 2008.

Arena has been with the D.C. United, New York Red Bulls and Los Angeles Galaxy. He joined the Revolution in 2019 and is the sporting director.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.