Here’s the Drama that Led Up to the Firing of Miguel ‘El Piojo’ Herrera
Last year, EVERYONE seemed to love Mexico soccer coach Miguel Herrera.
Photo Credit: Laurence Griffiths / Getty
His team was having fun at the 2014 World Cup…
Photo Credit: @miguelherreradt / Instagram
Fans couldn’t get enough of “El Piojo”…
Photo Credit: Robert Cianflone / Getty
And his goal celebrations became one of the highlights of the 2014 World Cup.
Credit: ESPN / ftw.usatoday.com
Credit: ESPN / Mashable
Credit: IGN
But this summer, several incidents began chipping away at his popularity.
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In June, on election day in Mexico, he published a tweet in support of El Partido Verde.
Apoyemos a la selección.
No dejen de votar, vamos con los verdes— Miguel Herrera (@MiguelHerreraDT) June 7, 2015
Credit: @MiguelHerreraDT / Twitter
El Partido Verde is a political party associated with the PRI party. In Mexico, it’s against the law for political parties to campaign on election day. Herrera maintained that he acted on his own and was not prompted to tweet by El Partido Verde. He was later fined for the tweets.
Before the Copa America in Chile, Herrera promised Mexico would play to win the cup.
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Herrera promised this despite taking what many believed was a “B” squad with very few players – no Chicharito, no Giovani Dos Santos, no Guillermo Ochoa – from his 2014 World Cup team. Mexico did not advance past the group stage at Copa America, drawing two matches and losing one.
At the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Mexico’s lackluster performances led many to question whether Herrera’s job would be safe.
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After a 6-0 drubbing of Cuba, Mexico’s inconsistent play in following matches led to more criticism. Herrera’s job appeared to be on the line unless Mexico won the Gold Cup. Controversial refereeing decisions versus Costa Rica and Panama led to victories for Mexico, but it only gave ammo to those who believed Mexico couldn’t advance without help. Herrera brushed off the criticism.
One of the most vocal critics of Herrera was Azteca TV announcer Christian Martinoli. Here’s a tweet from Martinoli calling out Herrera:
La elegancia del entrenador nacional me encanta. No es porrista, es barrabrava.
— Christian Martinoli (@martinolimx) June 21, 2015
Credit: @martinolimx / Twitter
“I love the elegance of [Mexico’s] coach. He’s not a cheerleader, he’s a hooligan.”
Herrera was paying close attention.
@martinolimx no soy eso pero ojalá en algún lugar te pueda encontrar. Para arreglar las diferencias
— Miguel Herrera (@MiguelHerreraDT) June 21, 2015
Credit: @MiguelHerreraDT / Twitter
“That’s not what I am but hopefully I can find you somewhere. So we can sort out our differences.”
Martinoli fired shots at Herrera for being more concerned with starring in commercials than coaching his team.
Credit: Eduardo Cordova / YouTube
Later, Herrera called out Martinoli during a press conference. The tension was palpable.
Credit: SinCensuraMX / YouTube
When asked about how he handles media criticism, Herrera replied: “There’s only one pendejo who attacks me. You all know who it is. And one day I’m going to cross paths with him.” Herrera then added, “And there I’ll discuss it with him.”
Well, Herrera and Martinoli finally crossed paths.
El timonel de @miseleccionmx encaró de esta manera a #Martinoli en el aeropuerto de Filadelfia http://t.co/u7NUR2RcXm pic.twitter.com/Do0M0ANEeU
— CANCHA (@reformacancha) July 28, 2015
Credit: @reformacancha / Twitter
After Mexico’s Gold Cup victory over Jamaica, Herrera’s job appeared to be safe. End of story, right? Not quite. On the way back to Mexico, Herrera ran into Martinoli and his broadcast partner, Luis Garcia, at the Philadelphia Airport.
And according to several reports, Herrera threw a punch at Martinoli.
Lamentable. En el Aeropuerto de Filadelfia el técnico mexicano Miguel Herrera golpeó a Christian Martinoli cronistq de TV Azteca.
— david medrano (@medranoazteca) July 27, 2015
Credit: @medranoazteca / Twitter
Martinoli y Luis García hacian fila para el filtro de seguridad cuando llegó Herrera y le tiro un golpe que dió en el cuello del narrador
— david medrano (@medranoazteca) July 27, 2015
Credit: @medranoazteca / Twitter
Herrera’s daughter, Michelle, allegedly threw a punch at Martinoli and slapped Luis Garcia.
Here’s video footage of the aftermath.
Credit: Univision Noticias / YouTube
Wait, is El Piojo really capable of letting his anger get out of control?
Credit: regiofutbol2014 / YouTube
Yes. Here’s footage of Herrera attacking a fan during his days as a player.
Once the news got out, the Internet had a field day with it.
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Credit: @FutMomento / Vine
Un turista nos envía una foto en la cual se observa la agresión de #ElPiojo sobre #Martinoli pic.twitter.com/ZpJIeKw0si
— PorElTítulo (@poreltitulomx) July 28, 2015
Photo Credit: @poreltitulomx / Twitter
@MiguelHerreraDT y @martinolimx han sido los protagonistas del verano futbolero.#Piojo y #Martinoli pic.twitter.com/GCLDQYNljP
— Héctor Rodrigo Ortiz (@HectorRodrigo) July 28, 2015
Credit: @HectorRodrigo / Twitter
Would Miguel Herrera survive the controversy? No.
"Al final sabemos que en el fútbol hay una palabra que es ganar y todos nos preparamos para ello": @deciodemaria. pic.twitter.com/XaFzbgwsGc
— Selección Nacional (@miseleccionmx) July 28, 2015
Credit: @miseleccionmx / Twitter
Just one day after the incident, Decio de Maria, the executive director of Mexico’s Soccer Federation, announced that Miguel Herrera was let go as head coach of Mexico. “Our values and principles are greater than any result,” said de Maria.
