Bobadilla, from São Paulo, apologizes to Navarro for xenophobia

On May 27, during a Libertadores game, Miguel Navarro, from Talleres, accused Bobadilla, from São Paulo , of xenophobia. This Monday (2), the Tricolor player, via video call, apologized to his rival for what happened.

At the time, the midfielder reportedly called his opponent a "starving Venezuelan". The player understood that a post retracting his statement on social media would not be enough and opted for direct contact.

According to the GE portal, Bobadilla told Navarro that he was mistaken and did not intend to discriminate against him. Both the Venezuelan and Talleres appreciated the São Paulo player's attitude.

Apology video

Last week, the Paraguayan posted a video apologizing for the incident, but pointed out that he was the first to be offended in the confusion. Pedro Iokoi, the athlete's defense attorney, said that the two have already reached an understanding.

"They have already talked, apologized to each other and reached an agreement," he said.

Bobadilla remains under investigation

The Civil Police are still investigating Bobadilla, who will only give a statement after the FIFA Date games, when the athlete will defend the Paraguayan National Team, on June 4th and 10th, against Uruguay and Brazil, respectively.

The player may be suspended from Conmebol competitions due to the incident. Brazilian law classifies cases of xenophobia as crimes of racism. If convicted, the penalty may range from two to five years in prison.

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