Union fan groups express discontent with the club’s handling of sporting director Ernst Tanner

In the backdrop of the Union looking to emerge from the cellar of Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference is the news that the league also levied a suspension on Ernst Tanner, the team’s sporting director, this week.

It would appear that the team’s response to the news isn’t sitting right with its most trusted supporters’ group, the Sons of Ben. On Friday, the group released a letter on what they described as “vague explanations and limited accountability” from the front office.

“MLS has concluded that league and club leadership standards were violated. That is serious,” the statement read in part. “Supporters should not be asked to absorb that finding with only vague explanations and limited public accountability. Due process cannot exist without transparency, accountability, and a clear commitment to the values this league claims to uphold. Supporters deserve more than silence and ambiguity.”

Asked to elaborate, Justin Friedberg, president of the team’s supporters’ group, declined, telling The Inquirer via email that beyond the official letter “any further words [or] actions by us or any supporters’ groups have not been decided upon at this time.”

Other supporters’ group have also spoken out. Another faction, called the Doopin Delinquents, also noted via Instagram: “Together we stand against the harmful actions and vitriol of the team’s Sporting Director,” and that they “find themselves at a crossroads,” presumably with club management.

In addition to a suspension without pay through June 1, Tanner must also complete a league-approved restorative practices program before returning, and is barred from further employment in MLS until doing so.

This stems from allegations of both sexual, racial, and homophobic behavior first reported by the Guardian that following a four-month investigation, MLS said it had “substantiated.”

» READ MORE: MLS suspends Ernst Tanner after an investigation ‘substantiated’ allegations against him

During his press conference ahead of the Saturday’s match against Chicago at Subaru Park (4:30 p.m., Apple TV), Union coach Bradley Carnell said that his team is going the route of selective hearing when it comes to off-the-field issues given the goal is to emerge from the trenches now that it’s only league matches from here on out.

“I think we do a pretty good job of isolating what needs to be heard and what has to be heard in terms of what’s going to affect change or performance,” said Carnell, who is a part of a four-man interim team in regards to sporting discussions, spearheaded by interim sporting director Jon Scheer.

“So for me, it’s all about the performance right now. Amongst the staff, we do have our catch ups and our discussions, but for the players, we just want to focus on the here and now with regards to performance. And, in that department, we have a lot to correct.”

It remains to be seen if the Sons of Ben or any ancillary supporters’ group exercises a demonstration, as historically the team has done in the past, perhaps most famously its 2015 demonstration when a casket was carried to the stadium gates denouncing former Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz for his perceived poor management of the club.

“The Sons of Ben is formally communicating these concerns to club leadership, coordinating with fellow supporters’ groups and continuing to press for answers rather than allowing this to be buried beneath match results and PR language,” the Sons of Ben letter continued.

“This is not the end of the conversation. It is the beginning.”

South Africa released its 26-man roster for friendlies ahead of the World Cup, and despite his improved play, defender Oluwethu Makhanya was not on the list. Carnell, a former South African international, noted however that Makhanya is choosing to focus on the now and not the what-ifs as national team coaches are using these final tuneup matches to assess who will be on their final World Cup rosters.

» READ MORE: For the Union, it’s not too early to go soul-searching in a season that feels like it’s slipping

“The worst thing you can do as a player or anything in any performance environment is worry about the result,” Carnell said. “The end product playing in a World Cup [is still] months away, right? So you can only focus on your next 90 minutes. And I think that’s where Makhanya has been really good — focusing on the present moment.”

It’s unknown at this time if forward Ezekiel Alladoh will be available for Saturday’s match. Carnell noted that Alladoh, 20, the club’s largest-ever signing, is “dealing with a couple of things personally,” and that they “hope to welcome him back to the club soon.” Alladoh last played 33 minutes as a substitute in the team’s loss to Atlanta United on March 14. … Union forward Agústin Anello will miss time with a hamstring injury coming off Wednesday’s loss to Club America in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Carnell said that the injury was listed as a grade two, which could keep Anello out of the lineup for a couple of weeks. The Union will have a two-week break from action following Saturday’s match due to the FIFA international window.