The misogynistic words heard from the head coach of Club Mazatlán FC on the field last Sunday before being expelled have cost him dearly. The Mexican Football Federation announced in a statement this Friday that it has decided to sanction Sergio Bueno with a financial fine and hours dedicated to social work to promote gender equity, in addition to a one-match suspension during Matchday 15 of Liga MX. The man referred to referee Katia Iztel García — chosen to represent Mexico in the World Cup refereeing — while officiating the match between Pumas and Mazatlán. “Now it turns out that a woman wants to come and prove she has balls,” the coach said as he entered the locker room after García expelled him from the field.
The national football organization has determined that Bueno engaged in “improper conduct” that violates current protocols and regulations. In addition to the financial sanction, suspension, and social work, he has been warned to improve his behavior in the future within the values of respect, inclusion, and equity in Mexican football. The federation has not made public either the amount of the fine or the amount of time Bueno will have to do social work.
The phrase that triggered the sanction was heard by Mexican photographer Eloísa Sánchez, who reported the aggression on the social network X. Manuel Velásquez, a photojournalist for the Getty agency, confirmed it as a witness. “What Sergio Bueno shouted at the referee was heard not only by a photojournalist but by most of the photographers who were near the action. It was not just one person, as some communicators want to portray it, in a distorted and biased way. Our colleague Gina Sánchez also heard it and reported it,” wrote René Tovar, editorial director of Récord, on X.
García has stated that she did not hear the comment, but that the football regulations clearly explain that no coach can approach, at halftime or at the end of the match, to question a refereeing decision, so she decided to expel the coach from the field before he said that phrase. The woman will be the first Mexican in history to officiate the World Cup as a central referee, after passing high-performance physical tests, technical knowledge, and a FIFA observation over three years in national and international tournaments to achieve it. However, the wave of misogynistic attacks on social media and sexist comments have not taken long to appear, with last Sunday’s being the most public of them.
