While many athletes face backlash for their social media activities, it’s even more unusual to see scrutiny directed towards a team owner’s LinkedIn shares. This occurred on Sunday when MLS and the Los Angeles Football Club jointly condemned posts made by LAFC co-owner Ruben Gnanalingam, who is also the majority owner of the English Football League Championship side Queen’s Park Rangers:
A statement from Major League Soccer and Los Angeles Football Club. pic.twitter.com/uncGtwBBAf
— MLS Communications (@MLS_PR) February 10, 2025
It remains unclear exactly how much of LAFC Gnanalingam owns; he is listed as a “director and owner” among their 25 partners but does not hold one of the three “managing owner” or “co-managing owner” titles. In contrast, he possesses nearly 60 percent of QPR.
The controversial posts in question were not authored by Gnanalingam but were shared on his LinkedIn profile. They first gained widespread attention through an article published by The Jewish Chronicle, written by Jane Prinsley. Her report mentioned that Gnanalingam’s profile—a platform boasting nearly 12,000 followers—featured a stream of reposts from other LinkedIn accounts, none being his original content:
The content shared included inflammatory statements such as: “The State of Israel must be dismantled,” and calls to action like: “Brave Muslims of the world, what are you waiting for? Crush Zionism once and for all.”
Another repost urged dismantlement of the “Zi0 entity” with the message “#ArmiesToAqsa.” Additional content expressed alarmist views about Arabs needing to “wake up” to prevent future genocides and denounced violence against Israeli football fans in Amsterdam last November.
Moreover, he shared posts that included anti-Zionist rhetoric, claiming: “I am proud to see the complete & total rejection of fascist Nazi Zionism in our streets.”
According to Jeff Rueter of The Athletic, Gnanalingam issued an apology through LAFC on Sunday, stating: “I deeply regret that content shared on my social media account has caused distress and concern. It was never my intention to offend or harm anyone, and I take responsibility for not exercising greater caution before sharing these posts. I sincerely apologize to those affected, including my colleagues, friends, and family. As someone who values unity, diversity, and respect for all people, I take full responsibility for my actions and have since removed the reposts. I have decided to step away from social media for the foreseeable future to focus on my professional responsibilities and ensure my communication reflects the values and high standards expected of me as a global business leader.”
The reaction from MLS and LAFC to “strongly condemn” a co-owner’s social media behavior is noteworthy, particularly in a time when various leagues and broadcasters often refrain from addressing controversial speech. The outcome of MLS’s review of this incident remains to be seen, along with any potential actions from the EFL.
