The head coach of Spanish second division soccer team Sporting Gijón has apologized for remarks he made which likened talking to women in discos to scoring goals.
“In the end, a goal is like girls in the disco,” said Miguel ángel Ramírez at one point during his post-match press conference following his side’s 3-0 win over Mirandés on Sunday.
“When you approach them, they move away. Then when you don’t pay them any attention, they tap you on the shoulder and say, ‘Hey.’
“Goals are the same: When you obsess over them, they get further away.
“When you’re focused on other things, in your work, what you need to do now, what comes next, then they appear – and it appeared.”
On Monday, Ramírez posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Last night, I wasn’t smart in the comparison I made to speak about our relationship with the goal. It has no relation with my way of understanding life and my values. I apologize for [my comments].”
Sporting Gijón pointed to the manager’s apology when contacted by CNN for comment.
Ramírez’s comments came on the same day that Spain won the Women’s World Cup for the first time, beating England 1-0 in Sunday’s final, and he began the press conference by congratulating the national team.
Prior to his apology, Ramírez had received criticism for his comments, including from the mayor of the city of Gijón.
“Conversations like this, really unfortunately, show the importance of continuing to work for a more egalitarian society,” Carmen Moriyón wrote on X.
The local assembly in Gijón for the Verdes Equo political party wrote: “These types of messages have no place in the construction of an egalitarian society.
“The Sporting coach should retract or otherwise be sanctioned by the club.”