LA Mayor Villaraigosa booed at David Beckham ceremony



Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was greeted by a crowd of thousands Friday with something he doesn't usually hear a booming chorus of boos.



The icy reception came as Villaraigosa took part in a welcoming ceremony for the newest member of the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer superstar David Beckham.



But when the mayor was introduced, the crowd estimated at 5,000 turned on him with jeers and howls as if he was a member of an opposing team, while the moment was recorded by a vast array of international media.



It might have been payback.



At a 2005 match between the Galaxy and in-town rival Chivas USA, the then-mayor-elect took the first kick while wearing Chivas' red-and-white striped jersey with his name emblazoned on the back. Even his son wore a Chivas jersey.



And the mayor is also friends with Chivas' president, Antonio Cue.



Despite the racket, Villaraigosa maintained his signature smile and slipped on a Galaxy jersey. But he was all but ignored by the fans when he shouted, "Do we love David Beckham?"



Asked about the mayor's chilly greeting, Galaxy spokesman Patrick Donnelly declined comment. But a Villaraigosa spokesman, Matt Szabo, said the loud show of disapproval wasn't a surprise.



"The mayor is a very public and avid Chivas fan," Szabo said.



Villaraigosa has had a run of bad publicity he has been the focus of days of unflattering media coverage over his affair with a TV newscaster and the breakup of his marriage.



The Galaxy's home stadium is in Carson, a suburb of Los Angeles.