SPAIN’S public broadcaster RTVE has apologised after putting subtitles on the Andalucian mother of football star Fabian Ruiz.
RTVE’s president, Jose Pablo Lopez, has apologised to ‘all Andalucians’ after the broadcaster subtitled the comments of Ruiz’s mother, Chari Peña, who is from Los Palacios y Villafranca in Sevilla.
Her comments, broadcast during a prime-time RTVE documentary on Spain’s World Cup team, were subtitled to account for her Andalucian accent.
READ MORE: Battle for the World Cup final: Spain and Morocco clash over hosting rights for 2030 showpiece
The decision sparked backlash with many accusing the broadcaster of andaluzofobia (Andalucian-phobia).
Ruiz himself, a PSG midfielder and key figure in Spain’s World Cup campaign, also weighed in.
During an interview with sports broadcaster DAZN, Ruiz sarcastically remarked, “If anyone in the interview can’t understand me, you can subtitle me too.”
The RTVE boss described the decision as a ‘major mistake’ and said the broadcaster is ‘reviewing what went wrong’ to ensure this does not happen again.
Lopez continued: “As an Andalusian, this hurts me doubly. The Andalucian accent, the Andalucian way of speaking, is a treasure, a part of our cultural heritage, and it should never be treated as a language barrier that needs translation.”
Click here to read more Sport News from The Olive Press.





