Francisco Rivera Ordóñez is among the most famous matadors in Spain, the descendent of a legendary lineage in a bloodsport that has deep roots in the land from which both he and bullfighting hail.
Now, however, Rivera finds himself in hot water. And, like all good stories do, this one starts with an Instagram.
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Rivera's father, Francisco Rivera Pérez, was a famous matador nicknamed "Paquirri." He died after being gored by a bull in the ring in 1984, when Rivera was 10. One of Rivera's grandfathers was the bullfighting legend Antonio Ordóñez Araujo. Rivera, too, has maintained the family tradition, living the celebrity life of a superstar matador despite some criticism of his actual talent.
That is the context for the Instagram below, which Rivera posted this week. It shows him in the ring with a bull while holding his baby daughter, Carmen.
Debut de Carmen , es la 5 generación que torea en nuestra familia . Mi abuelo toreo así con mi padre . Mi padre toreo así conmigo , y yo lo he hecho con mis hijas Cayetana y ahora con Carmen #orgullodesangre A photo posted by Francisco Rivera (@f.r.paquirri) on Jan 24, 2016 at 12:57pm PST
The caption translates to read: “This is the fifth generation of bullfighters in our family. My grandfather used to bullfight with me and my father like this. My father also used to bullfight like this with me and I have done it with my daughter Cayetana and now Carmen.”
Bullfighting is already a controversial sport because it centers around, well, killing live bulls. But Rivera's Instagram post predictably touched off outrage of a different sort, igniting furor over the risk to which he put Carmen.
Child protective services in Andalusia, the state where Rivera lives, told The Times they are investigating. “We absolutely reject this and will gather information with a view to possibly taking action,” a spokesperson told The Times.
Rivera responded to the criticism with a tweet saying she will never be safer than when she is with him.
Como esta España... Pensar que he puesto a mi hija en peligro es una barbaridad.Mas segura que en mis brazos no va a estar nunca.— F.R.Paquirri (@Paquirri74) January 25, 2016
Other matadors and bullfighting fans have also shown support for Rivera by tweeting photos of other children in the ring with bulls, in essence saying it is a part of bullfighting culture. The post below comes from matador Lama de Góngora.
Buenos días!!!! Vamonos al Campo!!! pic.twitter.com/7Ifx0CtwPe— Lama de Góngora (@LamadeGongora) January 26, 2016
Rivera has not entered the ring professionally since he was gored by a bull in August 2015.