Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Hope Solo's foul-mouthed reaction when she was suspended caught on video

The 35-year-old was suspended after making comments about a rival team

Andrew Buncombe
New York
Tuesday 30 August 2016 20:09 BST
Comments
Hope Solo Terminated: Keeping Score Teaser

Tearful, emotional and over.

A new video has emerged showing US soccer player Hope Solo’s reaction when she learned she had been suspended after making unsporting comments about the Swedish team during the 2016 Olympics.

“Seventeen f***king years and it’s over,” she says in the video.

US Soccer announced the goalkeeper’s six-month suspension last week, saying her conduct was “counter to the organisation’s principles.”

The suspension was tied to Solo’s comments in the aftermath of the Americans’ loss to Sweden in the quarterfinals of the Olympics. She called the Swedish team “a bunch of cowards” for their conservative style of play. US Soccer President Sunil Gulati said “the comment were unacceptable and do not meet the standard of conduct we require from our National Team players.”

Hope Solo have been banned from the United States women's team for six months (Getty)

But the New York Post said a history of troubling behaviour also factored into the decision to suspend her.

Solo, 35, was arrested in 2014 and charged with two counts of domestic violence after an incident involving her half-sister and nephew. And she was suspended from the national team for 30 days in 2015 after she was stopped by police while riding in a US team van with Jeramy Stevens, her husband, who was arrested for driving while intoxicated.

The footage, in which Solo’s husband, can be seen trying to console her, is from the in-production documentary series Keeping Score, which follows the lives of three US women’s players.

After her suspension, Solo said in a statement: “For 17 years, I dedicated my life to the US Women’s National Team and did the job of a pro athlete the only way I knew how - with passion, tenacity, an unrelenting commitment to be the best goalkeeper in the world, not just for my country, but to elevate the sport for the next generation of female athletes.”

She added: “In those commitments, I have never wavered. And with so much more to give, I am saddened by the Federation’s decision to terminate my contract.”

Her reaction in the video was far more visceral.

“No f***king [unintelligible]. Six months. Suspension. No pay. Terminated contract, effective immediately. Terminated contract. Not just a suspension,” she said. “Seventeen f–king years, and it’s over.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in