The racist chants by the Copa América champion team against France ignited the fuse of nationalism in the Argentine far right. Vice President Victoria Villarruel accused the French of being “hypocrites” for the complaint they filed with FIFA against the Albiceleste and considered the content of the song to be “truths that no one wants to admit.” The Office of President Javier Milei warned in a statement that “no government can tell the Argentine National Team, World Champion and two-time American Champion, what to say, what to think or what to do.” The ultra-right effervescence was such that in less than 24 hours the Undersecretary of Sports lost his post, punished for suggesting in an interview that Lionel Messi and the Argentine Football Association (AFA) should “apologize” to the French.
The scandal began on Monday, when the Argentine national team was heading to the hotel after winning the Copa America final against Colombia 1-0. The players, euphoric on the bus, sang songs from the stadium. One of them directly attacked their counterparts from the French national team with phrases such as “pass the ball, they play in France but they are all from Angola.” There was also a derogatory reference to the Cameroonian origin of Kylian Mbappé’s father and homophobic proclamations. Midfielder Enzo Fernández, who plays for Chelsea, broadcast the scene live on his cell phone and soon the most offensive phrases from the Argentine celebration went viral.
FIFA has opened an investigation into the AFA because, it explained in a statement, it “condemns all forms of discrimination, wherever it comes from, including players, fans and those in charge.” It was responding to a complaint from the French Football Federation, outraged by what it considered “unacceptable racist and discriminatory comments.” The most affected by the controversy was Enzo Fernández, who was repudiated by his French teammates at Chelsea, such as Wesley Fofana. The Argentine apologized with a message in English where he acknowledged that the celebratory chants were “extremely offensive.” “These words do not reflect my beliefs or my character. I am truly sorry,” he wrote. Chelsea accepted the apologies, but is still considering sanctioning him.
In Argentina, meanwhile, another game was already underway. The far right saw an opportunity to inflame the spirits of its followers and did not waste it. “Enzo, I support you, Messi, thank you for everything! Argentines always with their heads held high! Long live Argentinity!” wrote on X (formerly Twitter) the vice president, Villarruel, granddaughter and daughter of military officers, in a post that she accompanied with images of independence figures. And then she fired directly at France. “No colonialist country is going to intimidate us with a song from the stadium or for telling the truths that they do not want to admit. Enough of pretending indignation, hypocrites,” she said, thus supporting the content of the song sung by the Albiceleste players.
Argentina is a sovereign and free country. We never had colonies or second-class citizens. We never imposed our way of life on anyone. But we will not tolerate them doing it to us either. Argentina was made with the sweat and courage of the Indians, the Europeans, the Creoles and… pic.twitter.com/Wkevi8TrVO
— Victoria Villarruel (@VickyVillarruel) July 17, 2024
The debate was not limited to the opinions of Milei’s vice president. The Undersecretary of Sports, Julio Garro, was ejected from his post for recommending that Messi and the president of the AFA, Claudio Tapia, apologize as a defense strategy. Garro was fired in a few hours for his challenge to Messi, in an operation that was planned in X and showed how the far-right government purges those who deviate from the official line. Garro saw the storm coming and after the interview said that he had not said what he said against Messi because “it would be disrespectful.” But his fate was already sealed.
The first shot was fired by user @GordoDan, a fanatic Milei with a strong influence on the far right. “Well, you know how this works, don’t you @JulioGarro?” he posted in a threatening tone. It was the starting signal for the virtual stoning of the official. The calls from government trolls for Javier Milei to fire Garro soon became thousands. When the wave was already high enough, the president republished one of them: “We all know how much Javo loves and supports Messi… Saying that Messi has to apologize to some European colonizers for a song that also tells the truth, is going totally against Javo’s ideology. Garro has to be out right now.” Hours later, the Casa Rosada announced the dismissal of the dissident.
The Office of the President informs that no government can tell the Argentine National Team, World Champion and Two-time Champion of America, or any other citizen, what to say, what to think or what to do. For this reason, Julio Garro is no longer the Undersecretary of Sports of the… pic.twitter.com/o4JRC7gGB1
— Office of the President (@OPRArgentina) July 17, 2024
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