Mexican president backs threatened female football referee / Photo: Marty MELVILLE - AFP
Mexican president backs threatened female football referee
A female Mexican football referee who fell victim to online threats after refereeing a men's match between Monterrey and Cincinnati received the backing of her country's president on Wednesday.
Katia Itzel Garcia has said she was the target of insults and death threats following Monterrey's 2-3 defeat to Cincinnati in a match of the Leagues Cup, a North American competition, last Thursday.
Her decision to award a goal to the US team that some claimed appeared to have been scored from an offside position sparked anger among Mexican supporters.
"In Mexico, in a country where ten women die every day and where 91 women and men die every day, violence should not be normalized. Violence should not exist anywhere," the 32-year-old referee wrote on Instagram.
She said netizens had threatened to kill her and her family.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her support for Garcia on Wednesday, calling her "extraordinary... she has to be three times better than a man to be recognized."
Sheinbaum said the government would contact Garcia "to see if she needs help."
In a message on Instagram, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Monday he was "shocked and saddened by the threats made against referee Katia Itzel."
The Mexican Football Federation also condemned "acts of intimidation and threats" directed at the referee.
Mexico, the United States and Canada will host the next FIFA World Cup in 2026.
According to the UN, ten femicides are reported in Mexico on average each day.
O.Wood--EWJ
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