On Feb. 9, Atlanta United officially announced the signing of Argentinian forward Thiago Almada from CA Vélez Sarsfield on a permanent deal.
While exciting for the team, the signing brought mixed reactions from Atlanta United supporters due to Sarsfield’s actions in the past.
During Almada’s time playing soccer in Argentina, he had two significant controversies that left Atlanta United fans skeptical about his signing.
The first was a sexual assault allegation in 2020 that has since been cleared and addressed by Darren Eales, president of Atlanta United FC.
The club negotiated an exclusive deal that allowed Atlanta United to come to an agreement with Vélez Sarsfield for Almada but let them call off the deal if Almada did not get cleared by both the Argentinian government and Atlanta United’s independent background check.
“We’ve done the due diligence over [several] months off the pitch,” Eales said in a press release following the announcement of Almada’s signing.
“We worked with MLS the whole way through this, and we took the step we did. We accept there is a swirl of discussion going around, [and] there will always be different views. We recognize that and accept that”
The issue of his legal case has satisfied many supporters since he was cleared both legally and by Atlanta United’s background checkers.
However, fans have criticized Almada for the racially insensitive gesture he made with his eyes while celebrating a goal for Vélez in September 2021.
The gesture Almada is a common one made among Vélez Sarsfield supporters about the club’s Intercontinental Cup final win over AC Milan in Tokyo in 1994. Regardless of the context, the gesture is offensive to many, and the club made sure one of the first things he did was apologize for it.
In his first interview with the press, Almada opened up with an apology for the celebration.
“I know that it’s unacceptable,” he said. “I know what it means to represent Atlanta. I’m very happy to be here.”
Darren Eales also addressed the situation.
“Thiago accepts [the celebration] was racially insensitive,” he said. “We believe he’s going to develop and learn as time progresses.”
Following the announcement of Almada’s signing, many supporters’ groups made statements regarding their stances on the signing.
Footie Mob and Resurgence ATL, two of the most prominent supporters’ groups, condemned the signing but recognized that Almada is young and can learn from his mistake as long as the apology comes from him and not from the club as a proxy, which it ultimately did.
The groups also addressed the members of the fanbase who do not consider the gesture to be problematic.
“A lot of what we’ve seen involving Almada, the treatment of our Asian Community, as well as the dismissal of sexual assault victims that have expressed caution towards this signing is alarming,” Guerilla Company, another supporters’ group, said in an official statement.
“Atlanta is the heart of civil rights movements that have dealt with historical racism. We deserve better and should be above this discrediting and [abuse].”
Larger groups of Resurgence and Footie Mob echoed this sentiment. They said they hoped for Almada to show he learned from this experience and grow from it.
The overall consensus among the fanbase is that Thiago Almada can learn and grow. His time in Atlanta can still be successful, filled with love and support.
He may need to prove it more than others, but he seemed sincere in his apology, and the city is ready to accept it. They’re holding the club accountable for waiting to address the issues until they were asked about them rather than stating them upfront.
The new MLS season is set to begin, all preparations have been made, and the teams are ready to kick off. Almada is a part of Atlanta United now, and it is time to begin fighting for the storied Philip F. Anschutz Trophy.
