Aaliyah Farmer quits Liga MX Femenil after fan abuse left her fearing for her safety

February 6 – US-born Aaliyah Farmer who has Mexican heritage has quit Tigres UANL after just one season in Liga MX Femenil and joined  Chicago Stars after ‘harassment’ from home fans pushed her to the point where the player felt unsafe.

“There was a red line in her process. She didn’t feel safe in the face of harassment that occurred and she let us know,” said Tigres coach Pedro Losa at a press conference. “As a club, our obligation was to support her.”

Farmer, who players her international football for Mexico, is the latest American-born player to leave Liga MX Femenil after saying they suffered some form of harassment. In October 2024, Lucia Yáñez quit playing for Puebla and decided to return to Los Angeles, where she was born.

Unfortunately, this stain on women’s football in Mexico is not a one-off. California-born Lucía Yáñez left Puebla in October 2024, citing harassment that went from the pitch to her home, where rocks were thrown at a place where personal safety should be without question.

Liga MX Femenil is not unique in racial harassment.

The parallels with Vinícius Júnior in Spain and La Liga are impossible to ignore. While they are different leagues, different continents, and genders, the theme is the same. Abuse is becoming normalised, accepted, and incredibly tolerated. Institutions are quick to denounce but slow to take any meaningful action. Players are forced to carry the burden of “resilience” simply to do their jobs.

When Vinícius repeatedly speaks out, he is told to shut up and keep playing. When women like Farmer do the same, they are quietly ushered elsewhere, in this case back to the NWSL.

Mexican football has made real strides in building a women’s league and its women’s game, but there is more work to be done with supporters.

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