Miami Marlins suspend manager Ozzie Guillen after he praises Fidel Castro

“Mr Guillen’s admiration for a dictator who has destroyed the lives of so many
and who has violated the basic human rights of millions is shameful,” said
Francis Suarez, chairman of the Miami city commission.

The Marlins, who recently opened a new stadium in a heavily Cuban part of town
known as Little Havana, moved quickly to distance themselves from Mr
Guillen’s comments and put out a statement acknowledging that the team was
based “in a community filled with victims of this dictatorship”.

But in the face of a tide of anger, the team on Tuesday announced that they
were suspending their new manager for five games without pay.

Mr Guillen, a Venezuelan, appeared at a press conference a few moments after
his suspension was announced, where he provided a fulsome apology in both
English and Spanish.

“I feel like I betrayed my Latin community,” he said. “I’m here to say I’m
sorry with my heart in my hands.” The embattled manager claimed he had been
thinking in Spanish and garbled his meaning while speaking in English.

Whether the fiery Mr Guillen can regain the trust of Miami’s powerful Cuban
community – many of whom are the children of exiles from the regime –
remains to be seen.

He arrived in the city already a figure of suspicion having previously
declared his admiration for Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s socialist president and
a close ally of the Castro regime.

In the past he has turned invitations to the White House from both George W
Bush and Barack Obama but celebrated his 2005 World Series win with an
appearance on Mr Chavez’s radio show.

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