Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio has defended his players who were having a late-night party with prostitutes last Saturday after a friendly against Scotland. According to the Mexican magazine TV Notas, several players were visited by the prostitutes after their 1-0 victory over Scotland. The farewell party was held in Las Lomas, an upscale neighbourhood in Mexico City, after the footballers were given the night off. According to the reports, the party was attended by goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, defender Carlos Salcedo, midfielder Marco Fabian, and LA Galaxy brothers Giovanni and Jonathan dos Santos. Carlos Osorio said a group of his players did nothing wrong in having a late-night party, saying they deserved “some time for themselves”.
The party, reported to involve at least eight players, was made public when pictures were published in the magazine TVNotas. “It was in their free time,” Osorio told reporters in Copenhagen where Mexico face Denmark in a friendly on Saturday. “We had been together in concentration for 19 games before that and, hopefully, we will be together for another 25 to 30 days and it was important that they had some time for themselves.” Midfielder Andres Guardado agreed. “More than footballers, we are people and, as people we can do what we want in our private lives,” he said.
“I don’t think we’ve committed any act of discipline.” The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) has already agreed and said that no action will be taken. Mexico, who have reached the last sixteen at each of the last six World Cups, face Germany, South Korea and Sweden in their group. This is not the first time Mexican footballers have landed themselves in trouble with prostitutes. In 2010, several players were fined after they were found partying with women after a match in Monterrey. Efrain Juarez and Carlos Vela also received a ban of six months from selection.
In 2011, eight members of the team were suspended for six months after it emerged that they hired escorts in a hotel in Quito, Ecuador shortly before the 2011 Copa America. The Mexican team is currently in Denmark where they are scheduled to play a friendly against the host nation on Saturday. They are placed in Group F of World Cup alongside Germany, Sweden and South Africa. Their first match is against defending champions Germany on June 17. (With inputs from Reuters)