Soccer-Venezuelan Navarro reports xenophobic remark during Copa Libertadores clash
FILE PHOTO: Jun 26, 2024; Inglewood, CA, USA; Venezuela defender Miguel Ángel Navarro (15) and defender Jon Mikel Aramburu (4) react after blocking a cross from Mexico forward Ernesto Vega (10) during the second half a match at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports
(Reuters) - Talleres midfielder Miguel Navarro from Venezuela said Sao Paulo opponent Damian Bobadilla made a xenophobic remark during Tuesday's Copa Libertadores clash, which saw the Brazilian side beat the Argentinian team 2-1.
The incident occurred late in the match after Luciano da Rocha Neves had scored the winning goal, sparking tensions on the pitch.
According to Navarro, an exchange of words turned bitter when Bobadilla allegedly said: "You starving Venezuelan".
"I wish I could have in my hands the solution to the hunger that my country is experiencing, I hope that God gives me abundance to be able to help. I don't think much can be done about mental poverty," Navarro said on social media.
"I will never be ashamed of my roots, I will go to the last consequences in the face of the act of xenophobia that I experienced today in Brazil at the hands of Damian Bobadilla. In football there is no room for hate speech," he added.
According to Brazilian media, Navarro reported the verbal abuse to local police, although authorities arrived at Talleres' dressing room after Bobadilla had left the stadium.
Bobadilla issued an apology through a video posted on social media on Wednesday.
"We exchanged some rough words. I was offended at first but I apologise because, in the heat of the moment, I reacted badly. It wasn't my intention to discriminate. If I get the chance to talk to Miguel, I will apologise to him directly," the Paraguayan midfielder said.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; editing by Clare Fallon)
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