Former President Calderon Declared Persona Non Grata in Venezuela Over Tweet Brianna Lee - IBTimes.com
go to original June 19, 2015

Mexico's former President Felipe Calderón (Reuters/Ruben Sprich)

Former Mexican President Felipe Calderón found himself banned from Venezuela this week over what Venezuelan officials termed “aggression.” Calderón’s crime: Speaking ill of Venezuela’s soccer team on Twitter.

Calderón, who served as Mexico’s president from 2006 to 2012, took to his Twitter account, @FelipeCalderon, to comment on soccer matches in the America’s Cup, currently under way in Chile. On Sunday, he sent out a tweet about the Venezuelan soccer team during its game against Colombia.

“What a pity, what a dirty game from the Venezuelan team,” he wrote. “It appears that [Venezuelan President Nicolas] Maduro trained them.”

The tweet sparked a flurry of angry responses from Venezuelans, including state governor Tarek El Aissami, a soccer player himself. “What’s dirty is you and your miserable history,” he responded. “Respect our people.” The message was retweeted on President Nicolas Maduro’s own account.

Hours later, Venezuela ended up winning the game, and Calderón congratulated them. “Vinotinto’s win is very deserving,” he wrote, referring to the Venezuelan soccer team’s nickname -- “Red Wine,” for the color of the team jersey. “In the end, the Colombian stars couldn’t do it. Congratulations to Venezuela.”

By this point, however, the damage had already been done.

Read the rest at IBTimes.com

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