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After sparking controversy in Mexico and Argentina due to his hateful comments, journalist Eduardo Feinmann issued an 'apology' during his television show, although he continued to criticize Mexicans by calling them 'starving' and lashed out at the Mexican president.
In a live response, Feinmann said his comments toward Mexico were misinterpreted as they were made within a conversation exclusively about soccer and the performance of the Mexican National Team in the match against England.
As he noted, he did not make hateful or xenophobic comments about the Mexican people or their culture. This is what he said:
'I made a comment that angered millions of Mexicans, and in truth, they have a right to be angry with me. I want to be very clear: it was not a xenophobic comment, it was not a hate message, we were talking about soccer. Mexicans are, in soccer, as passionate as Argentines are in soccer. It was not directed against the Mexican people, in any way.'
- NO TE PIERFDAS: Periodista argentino explota contra México: “Detesto a los mexicanos con mi alma, quieren ser como nosotros”
He added: 'When one's words hurt people who were never the target of the message, it is appropriate to clarify it. I do it with my heart in my hand. If I could have the Mexican flag here, I would. Because it seems to me that Mexico is more than a government, much more than a political discussion, much more than a soccer rivalry. It is a country with an extraordinary history, with a culture admired by the whole world, with a people proud of their roots, their family, their mother, the flag, traditions, things that I admire.'
'If a Mexican felt that my words were reaching them personally, I want to tell them that was not the sense of what I said (...) A sports passion should never be confused with contempt for a people. I do not have contempt for the Mexican people,' he noted without issuing a pardon or an apology.
Although he used his program's airtime to calm the waters and acknowledge that he had crossed the line, Feinmann claimed the right to freedom of expression, and the journalist did not offer a literal apology at any point, a fact that fueled the debate and criticism on social media even further.
Periodista argentino arremete contra Sheinbaum
In addition to this, Feinmann targeted President Claudia Sheinbaum and the attention she gave him during her morning press conference on Wednesday, where she called him an 'alleged journalist' and an 'ally of the Mexican right who does not love Mexico' due to his closeness to businessman Ricardo Salinas Pliego.
Regarding this, the Argentine said: 'President Sheinbaum occupied herself with me, an insignificant journalist, according to her, a pseudo-journalist, and that morning conference that she holds, she occupied herself with me. Don't you have more important things, ma'am, seriously? Corruption, drug trafficking, a starving people, insecurity. Don't you have more important things to do than occupy yourself with me?'
And he added, while recognizing the Mexican people: 'Look, the Mexicans, I learned from the Mexicans, today subjected by an atrocious left in their country, are families that work every day, that break their backs, break their souls. I saw the grandparents transmit traditions to their children, to their grandchildren. It is the Mexican mothers who support the household, it is the kids who dream of a much better future in Mexico.'
Delving into the political topic, Feinmann accused Sheinbaum of being a '21st-century populist and socialist,' an 'ally of the worst on the planet: Chávez, Maduro, Castro, and Díaz-Canel (...) you like dictators, you are the same as them.'
'Your populist government is the worst, ma'am, occupy yourself with important things,' he said, concluding that he and Argentina are more concerned with not being 'partners of drug traffickers' as Sheinbaum allegedly is.
[Publicidad]