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LA Galaxy Respond To Racist Posts From Wife Of Player Aleksander Katai

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – The Los Angeles Galaxy Wednesday strongly denounced racist social media posts about the George Floyd protests from the wife of one of its players, Aleksander Katai.

Galaxy Respond To Racists Posts From Wife Of Player Aleksander Katai
Aleksander Katai #7 of Los Angeles Galaxy brings the ball up field against the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Stadium on February 29, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Tea Katai, the wife of the 29-year-old Serbian midfielder, issued several racist and profanity-laced Instagram posts calling for violence against protesters.

In one of the most egregious posts, Tea Katai posted a picture of a looter holding a shoe box with the caption "Black Nikes Matter."

The posts have since been deleted.

In a statement, Wednesday night, the Galaxy said they were going to meet with Katai Thursday to determine his future with the team.

The statement read:

"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 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 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 LA Galaxy will hold a meeting with Katai on Thursday, June 4 and will determine next steps.

"Now is the time to reflect on our role in helping fight racism in our community."

Katai also posted an apology on his Instagram page in which he called his wife's comments "unacceptable" and added that her "views are not ones I share and are not tolerated in my family."

The Galaxy signed Katai in December after he spent two seasons with the Chicago Fire. He only played in two games for the Galaxy before the season was put on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Prior to that, he spent three seasons playing for Alavés in Spain's La Liga and three seasons with Serbia's Red Star Belgrade.

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