Nicolás Mardones: “I want this to stop happening in hockey”

During this week, a complaint was made public by Nicolás Mardones, a player from the Palermo Bajo de Córdoba Club.. Through a letter to the provincial Federation, he explained what he experienced on October 10 on a hockey field.

The letter begins by explaining that it is a discharge based on the red card he received on the aforementioned date.. “During the last two quarters, the opposing team – Córdoba Athletic – began to increase the intensity of the game and began to make inappropriate comments, “Not only were they insults/threats but they crossed boundaries by messing with my sexuality.”

Nicolás, 24, says he tried to talk to the referee in question, but “he was not heard”this situation of insistence led to the judge deciding to give him a green card. The sanction, added to the helplessness that Nico felt during the match, led him to incorrectly address the person who dispenses justice and that cost him his expulsion.

“I accept my mistake and offer my sincere apologies for my actions. However, I consider it important that measures be taken against this type of behavior, which unfortunately is not an isolated event, but is repeated in different parties.”he explained.

The motivation for making this discharge is to try to stop it from happening. “Beyond all this and my specific case I feel that homophobia and violence are general in sports. The fact that no measures are taken regarding these situations leaves a lot to be said about the institutions, “We have to learn to listen, to speak and to build a sport for everyone.”said Nicolás.

“I would like measures to be taken so that it does not happen again.“That they train the referees well so that they can calm situations like these, that this has to be the end of this homophobia in sport, because sport is one of the most beautiful things that can happen to a person.”he added.

Today Nicolás left the club because he felt that the institution did not support him and he did not know how to handle the situation. He maintains as a premise that “mental health is the most important thing. It is time to stop and not continue harming myself.”

Sport should be a safe place for everyone.