Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Soccer player suspended over swine flu “prank”

Some stories speak for themselves:
Hector Reynoso, a defender for Mexican club Chivas of Guadalajara, has been provisionally suspended for the remainder of the Copa Libertadores, South America's annual club championship…

Reynoso spit at Sebastian Penco of Chile's Everton last Wednesday in the waning moments of a 1-1 tie in Vina del Mar, Chile. Then he pressed down on each nostril and blew at Penco, telling him: “Now you have swine flu.”

There are no indications that Reynoso actually has swine flu, or that Penco contracted it, but the damage was done. CONMEBOL, soccer's governing body for South America, said it would settle on a permanent suspension in the next few days. It issued a statement yesterday saying: “This situation, lamentable in its own right, was aggravated by the risk of a possible infection of the disease AH1N1.”
Reynoso has apologized to Penco which the Chilean reportedly accepted.

Reynoso’s stunt is the least of Chivas’ troubles regarding the swine flu. Copa Libertadores matches involving Chivas and fellow Mexicans San Luis were postponed after Colombian and Chilean officials refused to allow their venues to be used as alternatives to flu-stricken Mexico.

Image- Sydney Morning Herald
Online Sources- signonsandiego.com, AP, Guardian UK

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