Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that defender Wesley Charles has been released by the club.
During Tuesday’s training session, Charles took exception to a tackle by fellow defender Jeff Parke and attempted to strike Parke. Charles was immediately dismissed from the grounds and training resumed.
"This is the second incident between Wesley Charles and a teammate in just over a month, and as a result, we have decided to release Charles outright," explained Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi. "As a club, we do not condone any violence on or off the pitch, and take such actions very seriously."
On June 12, during the latter stages of a Whitecaps home match versus Miami FC Blues, Charles was involved in an on-field incident with teammate Charles Gbeke. As a result of the altercation, Charles and Gbeke received monetary fines and were suspended for two matches.
Charles joined the Whitecaps on July 11, 2008, and played in 33 matches for 2,785 minutes of action over two half-seasons with the club. Prior to his move to the Whitecaps, Charles spent 11 seasons in the League of Ireland.
The Whitecaps next match is this Saturday, July 25, against Puerto Rico Islanders. Limited tickets are available by calling Ticketmaster at 604.280.4400. For more information on the Whitecaps, visit whitecapsfc.com.
