In a week in which Mexico had to confront racism in the homefront after local Queretaro politician Carlos Trevino called new signing Ronaldinho an “ape”, the performance of the players on the field became almost an afterthought.
Queretaro, to the club’s credit, swiftly denounced Trevino’s churlish statements that he made on his Facebook page, posted partly because he was angry about the traffic caused by the presentation ceremony of the Brazilian star. Though the club called for Trevino to be punished for his prejudicial commentary on social media, all that appears to have happened so far is the removal of the original post and a rather tepid apology via Twitter.
Yet much like the banana thrown at Dani Alves back in April earlier this year, the Trevino incident provoked a reaction among the public.
Unlike the Villarreal fan who was banned for life for throwing the banana at Alves, Trevino is clearly not a supporter of the sport in any way, so his racist action was not couched in any disguise of loyalty to another club. The outrage expressed by many at the insult to Ronaldinho, a legend in the game, does lead me to hope that all those who do love soccer will unite against any displays of racism in the future.
Regardless of if one dislikes a sport, people should be granted their human dignity. If one does appreciate the beautiful game, then those who perform well should be respected for their abilities on the field.
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