Didier Drogba fined by MLS over Impact no-show

New York, Oct 22: Didier Drogba has been fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Soccer chiefs after his refusal to play for the Montreal Impact last weekend, the league said Friday.

Former Chelsea and Ivory Coast star Drogba stunned the Impact by demanding to be left out of the squad for their game against Toronto FC on Sunday after discovering he was not in the starting lineup.

Although Impact President Joey Saputo said on Tuesday the club had settled its differences with Drogba, the 38-year-old's no-show has brought a league fine.

"Consistent with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Drogba has been fined an undisclosed amount for his failure to appear for the Montreal Impact's match against Toronto FC on October 16," the MLS said in a statement.

In a separate ruling, the MLS said it had fined New York City FC player Diego Martinez for an undisclosed sum after he was found to have sworn at a DC United ballboy on Sunday.

However, the league said that an investigation involving interviews with multiple witnesses had found no evidence that Martinez used a homophobic slur against the individual.

AFP