Julio Garro had said that racist music aimed at French players put the country in a “bad situation”
Argentine President Javier Milei fired Argentine Sports Undersecretary Julio Garro on Wednesday (July 17, 2024). The dismissal came in response to Garro’s statements, which demanded an apology from Lionel Messi and the Argentine national team for a racist song sung during the Copa América celebrations.
Garro said he was worried about the country’s image after the recording of the players went viral, suggesting that Messi and the rest of the national team should publicly apologize. In one part of the song, Argentines say that French players “they came from Angola”.
In response, Argentina’s presidency announced Garro’s resignation in a social media post, declaring that the government cannot dictate the behavior of the national team or its citizens.
UNDERSTAND THE CASE
The FFF (French Football Federation) has appealed to FIFA and to the AFA (Argentine Football Association) to punish the Argentine players who sang racist songs against athletes from the French national team, live (broadcast) in the early hours of Monday (15.Jul), during the celebration for winning the Copa América title.
The video, made on the Argentine national team bus, was broadcast on midfielder Enzo Fernández’s Instagram account, and was soon shared on other social networks.
Watch (40s):
“Given the gravity of these shocking statements, contrary to the values of sport and human rights, the president of the FFF has decided to directly question his Argentine counterpart and FIFA and to file a legal complaint for insulting comments of a racial and discriminatory nature,” says the official announcement published this Tuesday (16.Jul) by FFF.
The racist lyrics had already been sung by Argentine fans in the final of the World Cup in Qatar, when Argentina won the match after beating France on penalties.
“They play for France, but they come from Angola (…), their father is Cambodian, but his passport is French”sang the players of the Argentine national team in the early hours of Monday (15.Jul).
Still in a note, the president of the FFF Philippe Diallo condemned “vehemently the unacceptable racist and discriminatory comments” uttered by the Argentine athletes. The leader considered the lyrics “insulting, racist and discriminatory in nature”.
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