Commentator apologises for saying Angel Di Maria showed ‘Latino temperament’ with red card

Di Maria was sent off for a stamp on Fernandinho

Dylan Terry
Wednesday 05 May 2021 09:46 BST
Comments
UK: Manchester City Football Club's fans swarm outside Etihad Stadium
Leer en Español

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Football commentator Jim Beglin issued an apology after referring to Angel Di Maria’s sending off on Tuesday night as ‘Latino temperament’.

The Argentine forward was shown a red card after stamping on Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho during Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-0 defeat in the Champions League semi-final.

But it was the commentary over the top of the action which caused more offence than the challenge itself.

Beglin’s comment caused a backlash and he later acknowledged his poor choice of words by apologising.

He said: “When Di Maria was sent off, I described it by using the word ‘Latino’. For anybody that’s taken offence, I do apologize – sincerely apologize.”

Di Maria’s sending off comes after PSG’s Idrissa Gueye was shown a red card in the first leg for a horror tackle.

And the lack of discipline ended up costing Mauricio Pochettino’s side as they lost 4-1 on aggregate to crash out of Europe.

PSG are yet to win the competition but came closest last year when they lost out in the final to Bayern Munich.

Man City will face either Real Madrid or Chelsea in the final in Istanbul as the second leg is set to be played on Wednesday night.

Pep Guardiola’s side are looking to secure a first ever Champions League trophy in the club’s history.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in