The decision Argentina soccer fan Rene Seghini made to yell racial slurs at a Black man following Sunday’s World Cup loss to Spain is now having a widespread effect on the Miami community and a longtime local restaurant chain.
Seghini and Tex Mex restaurant Taco Rico, which has a location in West Kendall, Florida, owned by Seghini, were forced to make statements in recent days as a result of the online backlash to the Argentina supporter’s actions.
To make matters worse for them, online commenters have flooded the social media channels and Google reviews of multiple Taco Rico locations with negative comments that threaten the profits of other franchisee owners that had nothing to do with Seghini’s racist outburst.
“It’s affecting us tremendously, and we work very hard,” Tato Gonzalez, who owns a Taco Rico location in Homestead, told CBS News. “Everybody knows if you go into my Google and you see the reviews that we have, you’ll see the type of food, not just the food, but we actually give an experience to the customer.”
“Basically, they blame it on Taco Rico itself, and what they don’t know is, for example, Taco Rico Homestead is my location, and (Seghini) owns his own location with his wife,” Gonzalez added.
The ordeal began when a Black man, who was later identified as a popular prankster on Instagram, was verbally trolling and dancing in front of Argentina fans while wearing a Mexico jersey after Spain won the World Cup.
Rene Seghini’s wife, Maia, then shoved the Black man in the back before he walked away from them into a nearby street. While Rene appeared to remain seated away during the first part of the interaction, an individual recording the incident then captured him yelling racial slurs at the Black man.
“We hate n—rs,” Rene Seghini shouted as his wife attempted to cover his mouth. “Argentina, baby!”
After social media users identified the Seghini couple online, they deactivated their personal Instagram accounts and the one connected the West Kendall Taco Rico location they own.
That could have contributed to social media users criticizing Taco Rico on other accounts associated with the brand, to the dismay of other local owners.
“I used a racist and hurtful slur, and there is no excuse for it,” Rene Seghini said in a statement. “I am deeply sorry, and I owe a direct apology to the Black community, who I hurt with my words, along with everyone else who was rightfully harmed by my poor actions. That language is wrong, it does not reflect who I want to be, and I take full responsibility for it.”
“I also apologize to my family, my employees, my fellow franchisees, and this community I have served for more than 10 years,” Rene Seghini added. “My words do not reflect them, and they should not bear any consequence for my actions.“
Despite the apology, The Taco Rico Corporate Team still intends to conduct a formal review of the West Kendall location owned by Rene Seghini to determine if he is fit to continue operating under their brand.
“Taco Rico was built more than 34 years ago on the principle that every guest, employee, and community member is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of race, ethnicity, or background,” the company said in a statement.
“We recognize that words alone are not enough. We are taking direct, concrete steps, and we will update our guests, franchise owners, employees, and community as this review progresses.
“To the Black community and to everyone who was rightfully angered and hurt by this video: we hear you, we stand with you, and we are acting on it.”
The Black man seen trolling the Argentina fans was later detained by police officers after a different Argentina fan (not Rene Seghini) was seen on video chasing after him.
Police said no arrests were made as a result of both incidents, and the Black man was later released.
