Argentina leads FIFA rankings, but racist chant scandal overshadows achievement

Argentina established itself on Thursday as the number 1 team according to the FIFA rankings, but the celebration of the albiceleste players, after recently won the Copa Americawith a racist song directed at France, sparked a scandal that, four days later, is still reverberating.

The song was recorded on Sunday in Miami and it made fun of the African ancestry of the French players, which caused the French Football Federation announces filing of complaint to FIFA for “racist and discriminatory comments” made by Argentine national team players.

Argentina beat Colombia 1-0 on Sunday in Miami Gardens, Florida. A video posted on Instagram by Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who plays for Chelsea, was widely viewed on the social network X and showed several Argentine players doing the chants.

These refer to the fact that the French players are “all from Angola”, have parents from Nigeria and Cameroon and include an offensive reference against Kylian Mbappé.

One of Fernandez’s Chelsea teammates, French defender Wesley Fofana, posted the Argentina selection video on his social media accounts on Tuesday, calling it “uninhibited racism.” Fofana, who has family ties to the Ivory Coast, is one of several French players who are black in Chelsea’s first team.

On Tuesday night, Enzo Fernandez took to his Instagram and X accounts to offer an apology in English.

“I want to sincerely apologize for a video posted on my Instagram channel during the national team celebrations. The song includes extremely offensive language, and there is absolutely no excuse for those words,” he said.

“I am against discrimination in all its forms and I apologize for getting carried away by the euphoria of our Copa America celebrations. That video, that moment, those words do not reflect my beliefs or my character. I am truly sorry,” he said.

The same chants, by some Argentine fans, arose before France and Argentina met in the World Cup final two years ago. Argentina won that match on penalties.

Dismissal of an official

In an unexpected twist in the controversy involving soccer player Fernández and several of his teammates, Argentine President Javier Milei on Wednesday dismissed an official who had urged the captain of the Albiceleste, Lionel Messi, to apologize.

At the same time, Argentine Vice President Victoria Villarruel came out in defense of the footballers and warned that “no colonialist country is going to intimidate us for a song on the pitch or for telling the truths that they don’t want to admit,” in response to the adverse reaction that the incident generated in Europe.

Argentina’s Undersecretary for Sports, Julio Garro, had urged Messi and the Argentine Football Association (AFA) to “apologize.”

“I think it’s appropriate. It leaves us as a country in a bad position, with so much glory,” Garro told a Buenos Aires radio station, despite the fact that Messi does not appear in the controversial video.

The official’s statement cost him his job.

“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 Nation,” the office announced on social media X.

“FIFA is aware of a video circulating on social media and is investigating the incident,” the organisation said on Wednesday. “FIFA strongly condemns any form of discrimination by any person, including players, fans or authorities.”

It is unclear whether FIFA has jurisdiction over an incident on a team bus after a tournament, but it could act if it is deemed unsatisfactory by Argentina’s federation’s handling of the incident.

Argentina has been at the top of the FIFA rankings since April 2023 and extended its lead over second-placed France, which lost to Spain in the Euro semi-finals.

The Euro 2024 champions moved up three places to third. England, who lost the final, also moved up to fifth place to overtake Brazil. Copa America finalists Colombia moved up three places to ninth.

[Con información de AP]

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