Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew have sacked their reserve team coach Federico Higuaín after an incident in which he refused to release a female referee’s hand and made a sexist remark.

Higuaín, the brother of former Real Madrid and Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuaín and a former longtime player for Columbus, was dismissed as head coach of Crew 2, the club’s MLS NEXT Pro side.

The decision came after he was sent off and handed a two-match suspension for his conduct following an August 23 match against Huntsville City FC.

During the post-match handshake, Higuaín is accused of squeezing the female official’s hand and refusing to let go despite being told to stop three times.

As reported by BBC Sport on Wednesday, Higuaín was quoted as saying, “He then told her: ‘Don’t forget, this is a man’s game.”Crew general manager Issa Tall said in a statement: “We determined it’s in the best interest of our Club, players and support staff to dismiss Federico Higuaín from his responsibilities.

After conversations this week and further assessing the past month, our Club’s standards of what’s expected from a leader for one of our teams have not been met.”The Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) had earlier criticised the league’s initial two-game ban as inadequate.

In a statement, the referees’ union said: “A male head coach committed two deliberate acts of physical abuse and sexism against a female official, squeezing her hand and refusing to let go after being told to stop three times.

“This physical intimidation was compounded by a demeaning, sexist remark to the official: ‘Don’t forget, this is a man’s game.

“Women make every level of this game better. They should not have to endure intimidation or degrading comments to prove it.

“Our female officials have proven their excellence on the world stage. They deserve the same respect, dignity, and safe working environment as every other official.”The PSRA described the two-match suspension as one that “falls drastically short.”

Higuaín had returned to the sideline after serving the ban and completing part of a required restorative practices process before the club decided to part ways with him.

The Crew 2 technical staff will handle coaching duties during the upcoming MLS NEXT Pro playoffs while the club searches for a permanent replacement.