Argentine soccer player fired over anti-Semitic gesture

New Chicago’s Arnaldo ‘Pitu’ González put his hand on his head, imitating a kipa, and pointed to his genitals after referee ejected him from game against team with Jewish fans

By JTA 16 March 2020, 10:06 am Edit

Arnaldo Gonzalez of the Argentine New Chicago soccer team makes an anti-Semitic gesture mimicking a Jewish kipa after being ejected from a game against fellow team Atlanta in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 8, 2020. (Screenshot from Twitter/via JTA)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (JTA) — The Argentine soccer player who made an anti-Semitic gesture after being ejected by a referee from a game against a team with many Jewish supporters was let go by his team on Friday.

New Chicago midfielder Arnaldo “Pitu” González on March 8 put his hand on his head, imitating a yarmulke, and pointed to his genitals in front of the fans of the Atlanta team.

Founded in 1904 in the Villa Crespo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Atlanta has historically received support from Jewish fans in that area and featured several Jewish players and administrators.

González had previously been ordered by the Argentine soccer association to miss the last matches of the season.

He apologized after the incident in a video posted on New Chicago’s Twitter account, saying he was “very ashamed.”

The league’s ruling in its disciplinary case involving González expressed “concern” about the infiltration of racist elements in soccer, and specifically its negative effect on teenagers.

González had also violated an Argentine law which prohibits actions carried out based on ideas or theories of superiority of a race, or a group of people of a certain religion, or origin.