Former West Bromwich Albion midfielder Richard Chaplow has been issued with a two-match ban by the United Soccer League (USL) for allegedly directing verbal abuse at Los Angeles Galaxy striker Robbie Rogers during a recent game.
Rogers - the first openly gay athlete in America's five major sporting leagues - was playing in a reserve-team game against the Orange County Blues at the weekend when he claimed that he was repeatedly branded "queer" by a member of the opposition.
The 29-year-old declined to name the player in question but said on Facebook that the incident had left him "upset", "angry" and "sad".
After an investigation, the USL has identified Chaplow as Rogers's abuser and issued him with a two-game suspension, but found "no compelling evidence" that he had used homophobic language.
USL president Jake Edwards said: "We cannot, nor will we, condone any language that is counter to the values we have instilled throughout the USL."
Meanwhile, Orange County said that they had "pursued the investigation vigorously" but could not find any evidence to support Rogers's claims.
In a statement, Chaplow insisted that he was being "wrongfully linked to homophobic slurs" but did apologise for using profanity during the match.
"I have a family member that is part of the LGBT community. I fully understand the weight and pressures it brings," he said.
"I would like to sincerely apologise to anyone who was offended by the profane language I used on the pitch in response to what I felt was an overreaction to a tackle. This was obviously not the correct way to represent myself or the club."
Chaplow's two-game ban was met by criticism from users on social media after US national team captain Hope Solo received a six-month ban for branding opposition players "cowards".
Neil Wilkes
