Evo Morales Sorry for Kicking Rival's Genitals in Friendly Football Game

While I try to separate politics from sports, this article deals with a news segment that has been on the radar in the American continent for some time.

Evo Morales, who is the president of Bolivia and a football fanatic, says he is sorry for kicking his rival Daniel Cartagena in the genitals when their teams were playing.

The story began with Morales playing football representing his team, which is the Presidency of Bolivia. His rival was the La Paz Municipal Department, led by Cartagena.

During the game, Morales declared that he felt insulted by Cartagena and responded by kicking him in the genitals.

Cartagena asked the referees to give Morales the red card, which was refused. The news has been popular in the American continent, with Univision conducting a poll.

The poll (in which 82 people were polled) concluded that 66 percent or 54 out of 82 believed that Morales should have been expelled from the game.

While Mr. Morales has been apologizing for his testicular kick, Cartagena has asked for "vacation for security reasons."

While the story involves two politicians playing football, I am of the opinion that rules are rules. Imagine if one player kicked another in the genitals or other places in a game sanctioned by FIFA or CONCACAF. The response is obvious: an expulsion from the game.

I myself would have permanently expelled any player from the game for such excessive use of force and violence.

The most valued player (regardless of the politics) is Daniel Cartagena for at least calling attention to the referee about this injustice.

It is hoped that this article can serve as a springboard for discussion about what constitutes a red card.