A Celebratory Moment Tarnished by a Lapse in Judgement

As the title of this one states, the Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez’s lapse in judgement has forever tarnished a moment of celebration. Read the full article here.

Not only did his vulgar gesture with his Golden Glove trophy tarnish his brand, his dressing room antics caught on video regarding, Kylian Mbappe (one of the best football players in the world who scored all 3 of France’s goals), as “now dead” just solidifies the damage. What made it worse is his weak excuses about the French fans booing them, especially considering the majority of the fans in attendance were in support of Argentina and having a difficult game!  So does that mean that every time ‘you’ have a difficult time or feel snubbed, ‘you’ can rebellion with vulgarity, definitely not! Martinez hurt not only his personal brand as a player but also his team and country’s moment because instead of talking about the results of the game, the headlines are focused on his poor behaviours and attitudes throughout the world cup. This is an adult football competition, where the best players are representing their countries on a world ‘stage’ (football pitch). This was the most watched world cup game ever, with over an estimated 15 million viewers! Frankly Martinez, you’ve hurt the sport of football because your behaviour was appalling, tacky and unprofessional. 

So how does Martinez start his Brand Rewind, with an apology to the world, his teammates, Mbappe and to his own family and friends. The fact that it’s a world cup means the world is watching; men, women, boys, girls, grandparents, aunts…, young and old, with different languages, religions, social status, abilities all watch this sport and even those who don’t understand the game were watching this day! Martinez, you need to apologize and acknowledge that your behaviour is not justified nor acceptable. I also suggest you learn how to conduct yourself as a professional football athlete, start by asking your teammate Messi who has one of the best professional brands.

Zoe Mitchell is the founder of Sharp Processes, a leadership consultancy focused on improving employee engagement using Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Psychological Safety and Process Improvement best practices with her 20 years of corporate senior leadership positions. She is also the author of Inclusive Leadership Now (available on Amazon).

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