MEXICO CITY (AP) — Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, one of the biggest stars in Mexican soccer, has in recent days become the target of strong criticism for social media comments in which he speaks of women as failures and as people who must “honor” men, a controversy that on Wednesday prompted the country’s president—the first woman to govern Mexico—to weigh in on the matter.
“Chicharito is a very good footballer,” Claudia Sheinbaum said, “but when it comes to his opinion about women… he still has a lot to learn.”
Sheinbaum described the 37-year-old forward’s ideas as “very sexist.”
Hernández, the current player for the Mexican club Chivas, is the national team’s all-time leading scorer with 52 goals. He also boasts of being the only Mexican in history to have played for both Manchester United and Real Madrid. He moved from being a reticent athlete when it came to speaking to the media to becoming a frequent presence on social media.
“Women are failing,” “embrace your feminine energy… while holding down the home,” “you women have to learn to receive and honor masculinity,” he said in one of the recordings uploaded to his Instagram account in recent days.
In another, with a far more condescending tone to the camera, he said: “You want a provider man but for you cleaning is patriarchal oppression… interesting.”
Presidential response
“I am a mother, I am a grandmother, I am also a housewife,” the president shot back on Wednesday. “But I am also the supreme commander of the Armed Forces.”
“Women can be whatever we want,” Sheinbaum added.
A new facet
Divorced and with two children, “Chicharito” has the habit of kneeling in the middle of the pitch to pray before kickoff and began to generate content for a YouTube channel called “Naked Humans,” where he depicted his life as a player with West Ham in the English Premier League and his marriage, and hired a ‘life coach,’ Diego Dreyfuss, whom many credit with shaping a large part of this new facet of “Chicharito.”
Criticism on social media of his recent statements soon appeared, some urging him to stick to playing, given that his on-field performance since returning last year to the Mexican league after 14 years has not lived up to expectations.
Already sanctioned
A few hours after the president’s remarks, the Gender and Diversity Commission of the Mexican Football Federation and Chivas imposed sanctions on Chicharito.
“A few days ago on a social platform, the player Javier “Chicharito” Hernández made statements that promote sexist stereotypes that are considered media violence and run counter to gender equality in sport,” the body said.
The federation did not reveal the amount of the fine and only indicated that tougher measures would be taken if he repeats the offense.
Chivas took a laxer stance. It did not refer to Hernández by name and said they took action because he rejects any “conduct that reinforces stereotypes that limit the freedom, respect and full development of all people, inside and outside of sport.”
This is the first time the federation has sanctioned an affiliated member for misogynistic expressions. Recently businessman Ricardo Salinas Pliego, owner of Mazatlán and Puebla, launched harsh attacks against women journalists and was not sanctioned.
Mariana Gutiérrez, president of Liga MX Femenil, recalled that all clubs also have a gender commission that analyzes these matters. When addressing the Controversy over “Chicharito” she only said that the league “will always, always reinforce what good conduct and bad conduct are.”
Background
“Chicharito” had been sanctioned in 2019 by the Mexican national team for attending an unauthorized party, but he had never before found himself in a controversy like the current one. He was left out of the World Cup roster for 2022 after having been included in the squads for the previous three editions.
Speaking out against machismo in football has never been easy. A turning point came with Jenni Hermoso, the Spanish national team champion at the 2023 World Cup and currently a player for the Mexican club Tigres, who accused the former president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, of kissing her without her consent during the awards ceremony. Rubiales was brought to trial and found guilty earlier this year.
Hermoso, the all-time top scorer for the Spanish national team with 57 goals in 123 appearances, was removed from the team just after the scandal erupted. In June, she was excluded from Spain’s squad for the European Championship allegedly due to technical and performance reasons.
