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The United Soccer League announced Monday that several stakes in the USL Charlotte Independence Championship-side property, including that of majority owner Dan DiMicco, are in the process of being sold.
“The day-to-day management of the club, in which DiMicco and others are not directly involved, will continue to be overseen by President and Managing Partner Jim McPhilliamy,” the USL said in a statement. “As such, the Club remains fully committed to all players, staff and community members as we move into the 2021 season and beyond.”
DiMicco, the former CEO of Nucor Steel, first invested in the team in January 2018. But he had been at odds with some of the club’s fans and players since May last year when he posted a series of inflammatory tweets, which since They have then been eliminated, in which he engaged in conspiracy theories and blamed the protests for George Floyd’s assassination on Antifa, billionaire philanthropist George Soros, and China.
That drew the ire of one of the team’s supporter groups, Jack’s Militia, and some leaders allegedly boycotted the games. In a statement to the Charlotte Post, the group said: “Jack’s Militia fully supports peaceful protests against the abhorrent continuation of centuries of deadly brutality by those charged with protecting and serving all Americans. We do not share the values that Dan DiMicco, Majority owner of the team we love, chooses to express himself through social media. More violence and brutality is not the answer. Crazy conspiracy theories and demonization of the free press as a distraction from the real problems facing the nation are not the answer. Black lives matter. Enough is enough. “
DiMicco later responded with a statement via the team’s Twitter account, which read in part: “I condemn racism and discrimination in all its forms. I have always believed that Black Lives Matter and that our country has a lot of work to do. to get rid of himself. ” of all the racism that has plagued us for far too long. “He later added,” I have spent most of my career in manufacturing and dealing with global trade issues. It is regrettable that some of my recent political positions on this issue have been perceived as discriminatory. “
DiMicco’s activity on social media prompted him to ask to sell his stake in the team, and those voices have grown louder recently, especially in the wake of the Atlanta spa shootings that killed eight people, six of them Asian women. The Independent Supporters Council, which advocates for supporter groups across the country, released a statement on March 19, part of which read: “The Independent Supporters Council condemns hate speech, blatant racism and conspiracy theories of the Charlotte Independence Owner Dan DiMicco ISC Calls For United Soccer League (USL) Championship To Take Action “.
Source: espn.co.uk
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