The Colorado Rapids and Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) have confirmed CONCACAF is investigating an allegation from Rapids defender Chidozie Awaziem regarding an incident that occurred during Tuesday’s CONCACAF Champions Cup match in Los Angeles.

As initially reported by soccer journalist Tom Bogert, Awaziem, a Nigerian international, claimed that LAFC defender Sergi Palencia directed a derogatory term at him during the game.

The match was temporarily stopped in the 85th minute as referee Pierre-Luc Lauziere consulted with Awaziem, Palencia, other officials and both teams’ coaching staffs. After about 5 minutes, the play resumed without any disciplinary action. Awaziem later confronted Palencia following the final whistle.

Rapids coach Chris Armas addressed the situation in his postgame press conference.

“Yeah, there was an incident that happened on the field. Our player, Chidozie Awaziem, was pretty clear and upset about a derogatory term that he said was clear about what was said,” Armas stated. “Our club and I are fully behind our player to support him with the investigation to further investigate what went down. He was visibly upset.”

After the match, the Rapids issued a statement in response to the incident, saying, “The Colorado Rapids fully support CONCACAF’s ongoing investigation into the reported use of abusive language by an LAFC player during last night’s match at BMO Stadium. As a club, we do not tolerate any form of abuse, and we stand with our players following these very serious allegations. This language has no place in our game.”

LAFC issued its own statement Wednesday, saying, “LAFC is aware of the reported incident during last night’s CONCACAF Champions Cup match and is cooperating fully with the ongoing CONCACAF investigation.”

Who is Chidozie Awaziem?

Awaziem, 27, joined the Rapids this offseason in December as part of a trade with FC Cincinnati, which also brought defender Ian Murphy to Colorado. Colorado sent $1 million in General Allocation Money (GAM) to Cincinnati, with an additional $200,000 possible through performance-based incentives.

Before arriving in MLS, Awaziem played nearly 300 professional matches, including time with FC Porto and Boavista FC in Portugal. In 2023, he helped Hajduk Split claim the Croatian Football Cup.

Internationally, Awaziem has earned 33 caps for Nigeria, featuring in both the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where he started six matches. He has continued to represent his country in 2024, including an appearance in the AFCON Final.

His contract with the Rapids runs through 2025, with options for 2026 and 2027.

The Rapids’ 1-0 loss to LAFC on Tuesday brought their CONCACAF Champions Cup run to an end. The two-leg series finished 2-2 on aggregate, but LAFC advanced to the next round on away goals.