By Alfredo Di Cesare
23 Jul 2024, 10:48 AM EDT
ESPN commentator Jesús Humberto López came forward on Monday afternoon and apologized for the comments he made during the broadcast of Club América’s 2-1 defeat to Angel City in the Summer Cup when he called Club América player Miah Alexia Zuazua a “fake blonde.”
In a lengthy statement published on his X account and addressed to the public, López apologized for his comments and argued that throughout his broadcasts in men’s soccer he has stood out for making these types of statements in men’s soccer.
“Following the expression “fake blonde” and the use of “peroxide” (…) I want to point out that these were never intended to hurt, humiliate, denigrate, offend and/or discriminate against the blue-cream player or her family, friends, fans or anyone who directly or indirectly heard or found out about it,” he indicated.
In his post, the American network’s commentator also pointed out that for the first time he has received such a strong wave of insults for mentioning a characteristic of the player.
“Those who know my career and have heard me speak over many years of my work know that I have used these same expressions in men’s football on countless occasions, with the sole aim of pointing out a characteristic of the player, without having received the tremendous wave of insults and offences that I have suffered today for daring to express them in women’s football,” he said.
So far, neither the player Miah Zuazua nor Club América Femenil have commented on the matter.
What exactly did Jesus Lopez do?
In the 57th minute of the match played on Saturday, which ended in a 2-1 victory for Angel City, in a play of no great significance, the former TV Azteca commentator seemed to forget the name of Miah Alexia Zuazua.
When Lopez tried to identify her and refer to her live, it seems that he did not remember her name and wanted to get creative, making a comment about her physical appearance. Specifically about the color of her hair.
“The one who bleaches her hair, uses peroxide to be a fake blonde,” was López’s comment, which sparked outrage on social media to the point that he was asked to stop commentating matches.
Jesús Humberto López was a narrator at TV Azteca before moving to ESPN. He also works at W Deportes and UniRadio. According to his social media profile, he has a law degree from the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico.
Keep reading:
· “I hope I never comment again”: ESPN commentator is torn apart for controversial opinion on a player’s physical appearance
· Controversy in Mexico: referee accused of celebrating goal with Henry Martin in the middle of the match
· Interview in which Jorge Sampaoli called Mbappé and Dembélé “autistic” is removed