Soccer Player Suspended For "Trying" to Pass Swine Flu
Be careful what you say during a pandemic
By JOSH ALPER
Updated 1:34 PM EST, Tue, May 5, 2009
It seems like the fears of swine flu have started to disippate after a week or so of hysterical warnings about the disease, but one Mexican soccer player may be feeling the effects of the scare for some time. Not the effects of the illness, mind you, because there's no sign that Hector Reynoso actually has the flu, but the effect of telling someone he did.
Reynoso, who plays for Chivas Guadalajara, has been banned from appearing in Copa Libertadores games indefinitely after he spat at an opponent during last week's 1-1 draw with Everton de Chile. He then told the player that he was suffering from swine flu, which forced South American soccer officials to react.
The length of the ban will be determined over the course of the next three days, according to the South American governing body CSF, who informed Eurosport, "At around the 90th minute of the aforementioned game, Reynoso, following an incident in the game, reacted by spitting at Everton player Sebastian Penco and then releasing nasal secretions at the face of the player. This situation, lamentable in its own right, was aggravated by the risk of a possible infection of the disease AH1N1 [swine flu]."
The Guadalajara players complained that opposing players were mocking them about having swine flu, and that they even heard taunts while shopping in a mall before the game. That kind of excuse making deserves a great big loogy hocked in its direction. If Everton players had intimated that Reynoso's mother was a prostitute, would he have arranged for them to pay for sex with her?
There's no truth to the rumor that the Mavericks are planning to borrow Reynoso's strategy to try and slow down the Nuggets in game two of their NBA playoff series. They're still considering covering the ball with cooties in hopes that it will stop Chris Anderson from blocking all of their shots, though. It will be a game-time decision.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.
Copyright NBC Local Media
First Published: May 5, 2009 11:38 AM EST
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