Athlete Ally Responds to Liga MX Coach’s Anti-Gay Slur
November 18, 2021 (New York, NY) — Athlete Ally responded to news that Mexico’s La Liga MX coach Ricardo “Tuca” Ferretti was given a fine and a three-match ban by the Mexican Football Federation after giving anti-gay remarks during a press conference on Saturday.
“Mr Ricardo Ferretti has been sentence to a fine and a three-match ban, to be served during the upcoming fixtures, for having transgressed Article One of Appendix III: ‘Racism and discrimination’ of the FMF rule book for the 2021-22 season and Article Six of the Ethics Code,” a league disciplinary statement read. “Mr Ferretti has been warned about his future conduct and should this happen again, the disciplinary committee will hand out even more severe sanctions.”
“I accept it was inappropriate and I will be more careful with my jokes because nowadays they are no longer acceptable because people are offended and that is my responsibility because of what I represent within Mexican football,” Ferretti told ESPN. “I should not make inappropriate comments. I apologize to all the people who were offended.”
“Anti-LGBTQ+ language must be taken seriously, because it has serious impact on LGBTQ+ athletes and fans who simply want to be safe, welcome and included in sports.” said Joanna Hoffman, Director of Communications at Athlete Ally. “Ferretti’s apology here is insufficient — anti-LGBTQ+ language is unacceptable not ‘because people are offended.’ It’s unacceptable because it perpetuates a culture of shame, silence and even violence that keeps LGBTQ+ athletes and fans from participating in the sports they love. We hope to see Coach Ferreti learn about the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ community members, and commit to cultivating an inclusive sports environment.”