PANAMA CITY, Panama (AP) — FIFA suspended the president of Panama’s soccer federation for fat-shaming comments about a star player on the women’s national team.
Manual Arias suggested that midfielder Marta Cox was “fat” after she made critical remarks about the setup of the national team, which had qualified for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
“President Arias has been banned for six months, until July 14, 2025, during which he will not be able to participate in activities related to federated soccer,” the Panamanian soccer federation said in a statement late Thursday.
The ban removes Arias from a series of men’s national team games in the CONCACAF region: Nations League games in March, two 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June, and the Gold Cup tournament in the United States scheduled from June 14 to July 6. Panama reached the final of the men’s 2023 Gold Cup, losing to Mexico.
Arias said on social media Thursday that his ban was due to “unfortunate” comments made in March 2024.
“I used some very unfortunate language that should never have been used,” Arias said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The federation announced that vice president Fernando Arce will serve as interim leader until the ban expires and acknowledged it still has work to do in women’s soccer.
Cox recently signed with Turkish club Fenerbahce after playing in Mexico for Xolos. The 27-year-old player scored at the Women’s World Cup in a 6-3 loss to France in the group stage.
