On Sunday evening, the coach of Sporting Gijón, a second division Spanish club, held a press conference after his team’s victory (3-0) against Mirandés. During his speech, he made remarks that were deemed sexist, sparking controversy in Spain.
The Spanish football scene is currently grappling with controversies fueled by inappropriate behaviors or remarks towards women. The latest incident involves the coach of Sporting Gijón, Miguel Angel Ramirez, who made an unfortunate comparison that quickly circulated on social media.
While starting his press conference following his team’s 3-0 victory over Mirandés, with a message of congratulations to the national women’s team for their triumph in the World Cup, stating that it would serve as inspiration for many girls to play football, the Spanish coach slipped into comments considered inappropriate.
When asked about the lack of efficiency of his Montenegrin striker, Uroš Đurđević, who scored a goal on Sunday, Miguel Ángel Ramírez made a comment deemed sexist. “In the end, scoring a goal is like girls in the nightclub… The closer you get, the further away they go. And then, when you don’t give them a chance, when you ignore them, they come back and say ‘hey, what’s up.’ It’s the same with a goal. When you obsess over it… it moves away. When you focus on something else, it reappears. And it reappeared,” he said, as per the transcription by RMC Sport.
The statement caught the attention of journalists present in the room, and it didn’t take long for the incident to be picked up by radio and television, sparking numerous online discussions. This controversy follows the one that occurred after the president of the Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, kissed one of the players of La Roja, Jennifer Hermoso, after the final of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
