![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/dc-united-fined-thousands-after-breaking-mls-rules-with-rooney-appointment/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/0_GettyImages-1242791426.jpg&description=D.C. United's woes since putting ex-England and Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney in charge have continued, with MLS now handing them a five-figure fine for failing to meet their diversity policyRooney's D.C. finished rock bottom of the table last season after he retuned to the club as managerD.C. United 's hiring of Wayne Rooney as their manager has resulted in the club being slapped with a fine worth more than £21,000. The former Manchester United and England captain - who was recently been spotted back in the UK after slumping to a rock-bottom finish with D.C. in the Eastern Conference - headed back to North America in July, having spent two campaigns with the club as a player in 2018 and 2019. But in the 37-year-old's return to Washington, which came about after he made the shock decision to quit as boss of Derby County, the club failed to meet Major League Soccer' s Diversity Hiring Policy. The policy, which was last amended in December 2021, requires all teams searching for a new head coach to have a 'finalist pool [which] includes two or more candidates from underrepresented groups, whereby at least one candidate must be either Black or African American'. In D.C.'s case, they met with two qualifying candidates but only one of them could be considered within the 'finalist pool'. Rooney's side have now been hit with a $25,000 fine from MLS, the equivalent of £21.6k. "While D.C. United relied on representations made by one of the candidate's agents that the candidate understood that they were interviewing as a finalist for the open coaching position, the club learned during the interview that the candidate was not available to pursue the open position," a statement read. "Once the club came to understand that the candidate was not available for the position, the discussion could no longer reasonably be considered a 'finalist pool' interview. Therefore, the club remained obligated to bring an additional candidate from an underrepresented group into the 'fina){kind=link}
D.C. United’s woes since putting ex-England and Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney in charge have continued, with MLS now handing them a five-figure fine for failing to meet their diversity policy
D.C. United ‘s hiring of Wayne Rooney as their manager has resulted in the club being slapped with a fine worth more than £21,000.
The former Manchester United and England captain – who was recently been spotted back in the UK after slumping to a rock-bottom finish with D.C. in the Eastern Conference – headed back to North America in July, having spent two campaigns with the club as a player in 2018 and 2019.
But in the 37-year-old’s return to Washington, which came about after he made the shock decision to quit as boss of Derby County, the club failed to meet Major League Soccer’ s Diversity Hiring Policy. The policy, which was last amended in December 2021, requires all teams searching for a new head coach to have a ‘finalist pool [which] includes two or more candidates from underrepresented groups, whereby at least one candidate must be either Black or African American’.
In D.C.’s case, they met with two qualifying candidates but only one of them could be considered within the ‘finalist pool’. Rooney’s side have now been hit with a $25,000 fine from MLS, the equivalent of £21.6k.