FIFA has suspended president of the Panama Football Federation (FEPAFUT) Manuel Arias after he called national team player Marta Cox “fat” and “out of shape”. Arias has been banned from all football-related activity for six months and fined CHF 10,

FIFA has banned the president of Panama’s soccer federation for a fat-shaming comment about a star player in the women’s national team.

The Panamanian Football Federation said Thursday FIFA had banned its boss Manuel Arias from performing his functions for six months for calling a player "fat."

FIFA has suspended Panama's soccer federation president in the wake of fat-shaming comments he aimed at a star player on Panama's national team last May.

Panama FA president Manuel Arias has been banned for six months by the FIFA Ethics committee for fat-shaming comments he made in an interview about the country’s star women’s striker Marta Cox after Panama were knocked out of the group stage of the Concacaf W Gold Cup last March.

FIFA suspended the president of Panama's soccer federation for a fat-shaming comment about a star player in the women's national team.

FIFA’s ethics committee ruled that Arias was in breach of its code of ethics for his remarks made in March last year, when he branded star player Marta Cox "fat" and "out of shape. As well as the ban,

Arias called the footballer fat in March 2024 after Cox was critical of women's football in Panama after they were knocked out of the CONCAF W Gold Cup

Manuel Arias was sanctioned for using "inappropriate language" about Marta Cox, who plays for the Panama and for Turkey's Fenerbahce.