Haren
FIFA banned the Panama Football Federation boss Manuel Arias for six months on Thursday after calling Marta Cox who plays for Panama “fat”. Arias on Thursday did acknowledge that the choice of words he used was “very unfortunate” and he accepted the sanction for a “serious error committed.”
Arias called the footballer fat in March 2024 after Cox was critical of women’s football in Panama after they were knocked out of the CONCAF W Gold Cup. “Marta Cox stopped to talk about our league. She’s out of shape, she’s fat, she couldn’t move on the pitch. It’s very easy to talk, but she doesn’t know anything about the Panama league for years, she doesn’t know what’s going on here,” Arias said speaking to the local news at the time.
“We are the first to recognize that we were not up to the standard of the tournament, but that same introspection must go beyond just the players. Personally, I feel that there were words used to describe me that certainly hurt me and were unexpected. If this type of situation becomes a constant, I will not return to defend the colors of the Panama national team,” Cox later responded to Arias.
Panama participated in the 2023 Women’s FIFA World Cup in which they could not register a single win. However, post the campaign Cox was also unhappy about the lack of improvement in facilities despite participating in the showpiece event. “After the World Cup, I expected so much more. That desire to see steady progress led me to speak out after an unfortunate performance in the Gold Cup,” Cox said after the exit from Gold Cup.
At the time Panama’s football federation did apologize to Cox saying: “On International Women’s Day… from the Panamanian Football Federation we regret the unfortunate term used by our president Manuel Arias in the local media.”
Discover the Benefits of Our Subscription!
Stay informed with access to our award-winning journalism.
Avoid misinformation with trusted, accurate reporting.
Make smarter decisions with insights that matter.
Choose your subscription package
