New York Red Bulls midfielder
Kaku was handed a two-game suspension in addition to a one-game red-card suspension he has already served for reckless conduct after he kicked the ball into the
stands that struck a fan from close range at Sporting Kansas City's Children's Mercy Park.
Minutes away from getting out of the game with their second win of the season, the Red Bulls
conceded a tying goal to 16-year-old
Gianluca Busio. In stoppage time, Kaku was red carded after a ball was deflected out of bounds on the sideline and he
slammed it into the stands, hitting a Sporting KC fan in the face. In a position to start a counterattack, Kaku was
apparently upset the ball did not reach him. Players from both teams came over and a scuffle ensued.
The game ended in a 2-2 tie. The Red Bulls lost their next match without Kaku,
falling, 1-0, at New England to leave them with just five points in seven games.
Kaku will serve his additional two-game suspension on Saturday against FC Cincinnati and a week later
against the LA Galaxy.
"I apologize again for my actions and accept this suspension from MLS," he said in a statement released by the Red Bulls. "I will do my best to learn from
this and become a better person and player. For now, I will continue to work hard in training and do what I can to make sure my teammates are prepared for these matches."
The MLS
Disciplinary Committee issued a warning to both the Red Bulls and Sporting for violating the league's mass confrontation policy. No further action was taken since it was the first violation for both
teams.
Kaku's additional 2-game suspension by the MLS Disciplinary Committee is not only laughable, but a signal to all teams that it has no metal to deal with disciplinary issues. Whoever is a member of this committee has no credibility.
"First violation"...same as a crude cardable tackle in the first 15-minutes of the game and no caution...JOKE
Worth noting: Clint Dempsey got a tougher suspension for ripping up a ref's notebook than Kaku did for slamming a ball into the stands in anger and (mildly) hurting a fan.
While I support protecting referees, the different standards here are kind of silly.
Paul, I follow what you’re saying, but Dempsey’s actions were quite deliberate. When Kaku kicked the ball in anger, he had no intention of knocking the ball into the stands and hurting a fan. Hitting the fan was a totally unintended consequence of kicking the ball (which was, admittedly, a foolish thing to do).