Real Salt Lake has fired head coach Mike Petke following a crazed tirade in which he repeatedly directed anti-gay slurs — in both verbal and written form — at referees.

Petke’s firing stems from his conduct during and after a July 24 loss to the Mexican team Tigres in a competition known as the Leagues Cup.

According to The Salt Lake Tribune, after receiving a red card, Petke yelled and repeatedly hurled an anti-gay slur at the referees on the field. He continued the confrontation after the match in the tunnel of Real Salt Lake’s Rio Tinto Stadium, again yelling the slur and even showing the referees a handwritten sign that displayed the slur.

The slur was in Spanish, the newspaper reported; John Pitti, the primary referee for the match, is Panamanian.

Petke, 43, initially was suspended for three matches and fined $25,000 by MLS for his conduct, and Real Salt Lake added a two-week, non-paid suspension.

The team said its eventual decision to terminate Petke’s employment followed an investigation and included feedback from fans and members of the community.

“As an organization, it is vital that everyone, particularly our leadership, reflects and embodies our core values and the values of our community, treating all people with respect, civility and professionalism,” the team said in a statement Sunday night. “Moreover, throughout our 15-year history, we have championed diversity, acceptance and inclusion throughout our organization, our stadiums and our community. This is a responsibility that we take very seriously.”

Petke, a Long Island native, played as a defender in MLS from 1998-2010, then transitioned into coaching. He was the New York Red Bulls head coach from 2013-15, following two years as an assistant coach for the team. He had been with Real Salt Lake since 2017.

Real Salt Lake named assistant coach Freddy Juarez as interim head coach for the rest of the 2019 season. Real Salt Lake (11-9-4) has two wins and a draw in the three games without Petke.

With AP