COVID-19 claims president of the Mexican American Football Federation, Jorge Orobio
The president of the Mexican Federation of American Football (Federación Mexicana de Futbol Americano, FMFA) Jorge Orobió, has died after contracting COVID-19.
He had been hospitalized due to complications from the coronavirus a few weeks ago.
The 69-year-old Orobió has been head of the federation in Mexico since 1999 and through his 21 years at the helm of the organization has guided Mexico into the top echelons of the sport internationally. He was considered as one of the main promoters of American football in Mexico, the country where the NFL has the most fans outside of the United States with around 25 million followers.
Under Orobió, Mexico has participated in four of the five International Federation of American Football, IFAF, senior men’s world championship tournaments held since 1999 along with U19, Women’s and Flag tournaments.
— Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Americano A.C. (@FMFAOFICIALMX) November 18, 2020
Each year FMFA promoted the participation of a Mexican National Team in the “Global Junior Championship” tournament, sponsored by the NFL during the week before the Super Bowl.
Orobió, who had also served as vice president of IFAF since 2002 (re-elected in 2006 and 2008), managed to ensure that the 2018 U19 World Championships were played in Mexico where Team Mexico finished second.
He helped form the Pan American Football Federation (PAFAF), of which he was also vice president.
A native of Mexico City, Orobió was a public accountant and graduated from the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN). In recent years, he has dedicated himself to working as a financial and accounting advisor for various companies.
