As Mexico went to the polls last Sunday, national soccer team manager Miguel Herrera and several high-profile players tweeted their support for the controversial Green Party of Mexico, in flagrant violation of the Mexican Football Federation’s own code of ethics and the national law forbidding campaigning three days before the election.
Herrera combined his backing of the Green Party – closely allied to the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) – with his desire to see the national team win their friendly against Brazil, played on the same day as the election. “We support the team. Don’t forget to vote. We’re going with the greens,” he said. In a second tweet, Herrera repeated the party’s own propaganda: “The Greens fulfill their promises.”
Other soccer players and celebrities sent tweets with similar content, suggesting a coordinated publicity drive by the party.
The Green Party has been the worst offender for rule breaking in the current campaign, having accumulated multiple fines to the tune of 519 million pesos (US$33 million).
Miguel Herrera and his players’ public support of the Green Party prompted an outcry among rival politicians and social media users.
“The team, which is for everyone, is being used by the government to manipulate the election,” said National Action Party (PAN) federal deputy Juan Pablo Adame.
While the Green Party denied allegations of foul play, many commentators have highlighted connections between its key political players and the national soccer team.
Chiapas State Governor Manuel Velasco is the party’s most visible figure and hailed as a possible successor to President Enrique Peña Nieto, despite damaging his reputation by slapping an assistant in public at the end of last year.
Commentators are questioning whether it is a coincidence that the national soccer team has played in Chiapas twice in the past eight months, providing vital media attention for the governor. Meanwhile, Herrera has been appointed tourism ambassador for Chiapas and paid an undisclosed fee. SW