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Former Barcelona star Ronaldinho, who has signed for Mexican club Queretaro, was called an ape by a Mexican politician in a Facebook post.
The politician, Carlos Trevino reacted to the fact that city was full of traffic jams on Friday night, which was due to Ronaldinho’s official unveiling to the fans during half-time of Queretaro’s match with Puebla.
Trevino posted, “I try to be tolerant but I DETEST FOOTBALL and the dumbing down phenomenon it produces,” Treviño wrote. “I detest it all the more because people obstruct and flood the main avenues, causing me to spend two hours getting home … and all to see AN APE … A Brazilian, but an ape nonetheless. This has become a ridiculous circus.”
Outrage on social media and demands for punishment
Although he deleted the post soon after, it was picked up on social media in Mexico, and there was widespread outrage over the inflammatory nature of the comments. The feed #TodosSomosSimios or WeAreAllApes picked up momentum over the weekend and was a trending topic in Mexico on Monday.
His club, who are also known as The White Roosters of Queretaro, have released a statement in which they have demanded “exemplary punishment” for Trevino. Following that, the national commission against discrimination of Mexico announced on Twitter that it had opened an investigation into the “racist expressions” against Ronaldinho.
Even the politician’s organization, the right-wing National Action Party declared it would launch an inquiry while the party’s regional chief, José Baez, said he would ask for the politician’s expulsion from the party.
Ronaldinho reveals why Queretaro
The Brazilian legend revealed his reasons for joining Quererato in a press conference earlier in the day, saying, “I haven’t ever won anything in Mexico.” He also had got good reviews of the country and the game there from his brother Roberto and former Barcelona teammate Raphael Marquez.
When asked about his penchant for wild parties, he said, “I hope to continue living in the same way I have always done, winning titles.”
