Mexico national team manager Javier Aguirre was hit in the head with a can of beer after their 2-0 defeat to Honduras in the first leg of a CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final.
The incident happened at the Estadio Francisco Morazán when 65-year-old Aguirre approached Honduran manager Reinaldo Rueda for a handshake after the match.
Here’s the video. Great night for Honduras, once again marred by poor fan behavior.
We’ve gotten too used to fans throwing things away. This shouldn’t be necessary for the culture to change, but here’s a wake-up call.https://t.co/2eiXvBN168
— Jon Arnold (@ArnoldcommaJon) November 16, 2024
“Nothing, nothing, it’s football,” Aguirre said of the beer can hit that left him bloodied.
“They deserved to win, they were better than us in certain areas, I have nothing left but to congratulate them, and well, to try to lift the spirits of my team. even mention it, because well, it’s football, I’m not one to complain.”
Rueda said of what happened: “I’m sad about what happened at the end. That can really never happen again, here or in any other stadium in Honduras or any stadium in the world.
“I’m sad because he’s human, because they strike the same way [Aguirre]they could have hit me. That is something that cannot happen. We send our apologies to Mexico, its people and Aguirre. The party is damaged, all the efforts of our players on the field are affected. It’s unfortunate that something like this happens.”
The Mexican Football Federation condemned the actions in a statement released after the match.
“The FMF unequivocally condemns the acts of violence that took place this evening at the Francisco Morazán Stadium in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Such behavior has no place in our sport.
“We demand that CONCACAF take immediate and decisive action to address this matter in accordance with regulations. Football should be a party, not a battlefield. We urge all constituents, including institutions, managers, players, fans and the media, to work together to create a safe and respectful environment for all involved.”
CONCACAF has commenced an investigation and referred the incident to the CONCACAF Disciplinary Committee for further investigation.
After losing the first leg, Mexico must score at least twice in Tuesday’s home match to have a chance of advancing to the semi-finals in March. Nations League uses away goals as a tiebreaker in this phase of the competition.
