Longtime veteran Liga MX coach Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti has come under fire for sexist and homophobic comments he used during a news conference following his team's final match of the regular season at Tigres.
Known for kicking off his news conferences by giving female reporters the first questions, he opened this postgame presser by asking the media whether there were any "old ladies" (viejas in Spanish) among the journalists on hand. He then followed up that pejorative comment by using a homophobic slur to ask whether there would be any gay reporters asking questions. With no reaction from the media, he said, "Then we have all machos here." That was met by audible chuckles from some of those in the press room.
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The league and his club have not made public any disciplinary measures at the time of publication.
The 67-year-old's comments fly in the face of public efforts from the league and Mexican football federation to eradicate a homophobic chant used at Mexican soccer matches. They have resulted in a multitude of fines from world-governing body FIFA and the banning of supporters at Mexican national team home matches. The latest of those sanctions was handed down on Nov. 1: a fan ban for the next two World Cup qualifiers and a $110,000 fine. The specter of a potential points deduction or tournament expulsion by FIFA still hangs over Mexico as long as the issue persists.
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Ferretti, who has long had a reputation for fiery outbursts and outspoken interviews, is in his first season as manager at FC Juarez. He joined the club after a near-11-year spell at Tigres UANL, the Monterrey-based club where he enjoyed the most success as a coach in Mexico's top division. Tigres beat FC Juarez 3-0 on Saturday, leaving the Bravos of Ciudad Juarez in 16th place in the final standings. With a 4W-9L-4D record, they finished four points out of a playoff spot.
Given the backdrop of the FIFA issues and the high-profile nature of this incident, some in the media anticipate a severe punishment to be handed down against Ferretti. Here's how some have reacted to hearing the comments by Ferretti.
Note: Posts embedded below contain video that includes offensive language:
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Y luego pretendemos erradicar gritos homofóbicos de nuestros estadios… ¡Lamentable! pic.twitter.com/kNnMidzSlu
— Marc Crosas (@marccrosas) November 8, 2021
Esto es bochornoso, lamentable e intolerable. La LigaMX debe actuar inmediatamente y el Tuca tendría que ver el fútbol por TV por muchos años. https://t.co/Idwr5uljHq
— Fernando Palomo ESPN (@fernandopalomo) November 8, 2021
El Tuca tendría que recibir una sanción ejemplar de la Liga Mx… Si los mismos protagonistas siguen sin entenderlo, NO habrá campaña que sirva para erradicar el grito… pic.twitter.com/4sQ0jHSCIF
— Fernando Cevallos (@FerCevallosF) November 8, 2021
#Tuca | ASÍ NO ❌@TUDNUSA @TUDNMEX pic.twitter.com/Wk7aiaLbg4
— Vladimir García (@VladimirGarciaG) November 8, 2021
Si condenamos el grito, deberíamos condenar los lamentables comentarios del ‘Tuca’.
— Maria Fernanda Mora (@marifermora90) November 8, 2021
Prefiero pertenecer a la mal llamada generación de “cristal”, porque al menos nosotros nos cuestionamos lo que está bien o no para avanzar. https://t.co/V9Oni9Qk0W
Acá el Tuca hablando de viejas, maricones y machos. No entiende que no entiende. Ea un personaje lamentable. pic.twitter.com/SV9d9EOkzl
— José Pablo Coello Diez de Bonilla (@JosePabloCoello) November 8, 2021
Esto es lamentable. Qué mal por el Tuca 💔 pic.twitter.com/Hgs6rLFseW
— Tito Garza Onofre (@garza_onofre) November 8, 2021
El Tuca… siendo Tuca!!!
— Paco González (@pacogonzaleztv) November 8, 2021
EVIDENTEMENTE SE EQUIVOCA
Hablando de “Viejas y Maricones”
No midió el problema que se le viene!pic.twitter.com/TtgyQHjQXZ
Cuando escuchas esto, compruebas que el Machismo, la Homofobia y el sexismo rigen nuestro futbol estructuralmente. (Ligas, equipos, jugadores, medios, afición) pero la risita de los reporteros avisa que no hay compromiso por romperlo! pic.twitter.com/YBvJnrjiSv
— Georgina González Toussaint (@Geo_Gonzalez) November 8, 2021
No sé qué es más patético, si la forma en la que el Tuca se refiere a las mujeres (viejas) y homosexuales (maricones) o las risas y carcajadas de los que ahí presentes le festejan todo al Sr. pic.twitter.com/6Ge6rmr5VP
— Jesús Barrón (@BarronSports) November 8, 2021