MLS: Hammer must come down on Kaku

Kaku smashed a football into the stands during the New York Red Bulls’ 2-2 draw with Sporting Kansas City. As punishment, MLS must bring the hammer down.

Footballers are role models. They may not be good ones. But that does not mean that they aren’t. Their influence still extends throughout society, as is the case for almost all sports stars and celebrities, and how they act and behave in the public light has massive impact.

This is why punishment — just and fair, but still harsh — is necessary. Bad behaviour by sports stars is unacceptable, sending a message to kids that it is okay to act in the manner that they do. There is a reason Luis Suarez was banned for four months after he bit an opponent.

All this brings me to the events of Week 7 in the 2019 Major League Soccer season. The New York Red Bulls were playing Sporting Kansas City, two premier teams in the league. A full Children’s Mercy Park, plenty of viewers on TV and around the world. The influence of the match, and thereby the players partaking in, was huge.

So when Alejandro Romero Gammarra chose to smash a football into the stands, frustrated with how the game was playing out, the consequences of his actions should not be understated. Suddenly, and unintentionally, it must be said, Kaku gave license to strop, to react in an extremely negative manner, to lose control of one’s own character.

After the match, his own team did not even attempt to leap to his defence:

"“The New York Red Bulls organisation does not condone the type of behavior displayed near the end of Sunday night’s match in Kansas City. We hold everyone in our organization to a high standard of conduct. The matter will continue to be discussed internally and we will have no further comment at this time.”"

In fairness to Kaku, neither did he, saying in a statement:

"“I want to take the time and apologise for my actions during tonight’s match. As a competitor, I was frustrated with myself and took out my frustrations in a way that is not acceptable. I love this game and would never want to disrespect it.”"

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Nevertheless, it is important that MLS bring the hammer down on Kaku. Whether punishments should morally be considered this way or not is up for debate, but it is vital they the league sets a precedent, explaining in their actions that behaving as Kaku did is utterly unacceptable — and will ultimately harm his team more than help it.

When Eric Cantona kung-fu kicked Crystal Palace fan Matthew Simmons in 1995, he was handed a nine-month ban from all football activities and narrowly escaped a prison sentence, in the end, charged with 120 hours of community service. Irish rugby player Trevor Brennan was initially banned for life from the sport when he punched his fan, his ban later reduced to five years when it was revealed that the fan insulted his mother. Vinnie Jones, in the 1990s, was banned for six months for commentating on a video that appeared to glorify football violence, a major problem at the time.

The reason these bans were so extreme is deeper than just it is what their actions deserved. The image that the punishment portrays to people watching is extremely powerful and it is important that terrible behaviour is reprimanded accordingly.

Next. MLS: Good, bad ugly of Week 7. dark

How long Kaku should be banned for, I could not really say. I would struggle to give a vague guess. I simply do not have the knowledge or expertise. But MLS should be looking to give him the harshest punishment they can. The book should be thrown at him. This behaviour is completely unacceptable. MLS now has a chance to tell the world precisely that. They cannot afford to squander it.

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