Argentina govt official leaves amid Messi row
Argentina‘s government announced that Julio Garro is no longer the country’s undersecretary of sport after he called for Lionel Messi to apologise for the national team’s offensive song about French players.
Chelsea‘s Argentinian midfielder Enzo Fernández apologised earlier this week after he had posted a video on social media following his team’s 1-0 win over Colombia in Sunday’s Copa América final that showed some Argentina players singing offensive chants that singled out France players of African heritage.
The French Football Federation (FFF) said Tuesday it would file a legal complaint. FIFA also said it was looking into the incident.
“I think the captain [Messi] of the national team and AFA [Argentina Football Association’s] president [Claudio Tapia] should come out and apologise for this case,” Garro told Argentinian radio Urbano Play.
“It is fitting. It [controversy] leaves us in a bad light with so much glory.”
The office of Argentina’s president Javier Milei issued a statement on X and wrote: “The President’s Office reports that no government can tell what to comment, what to think or what to do to the Argentina National Team, World Champion and Two-time American Champion, or to any other citizen. For this reason, Julio Garro ceases to be Undersecretary of Sports of the Nation.”
Garro later thanked Milei for allowing him to be a part of his team and wrote on X: “I am very sorry if my comment offended anyone, that was never my intention, and that is why I made my resignation available, although I will always be on the other side of discrimination in all its forms.”
Fernandez’s club, Chelsea, meanwhile, condemned all discriminatory behaviour, and started an internal disciplinary procedure over the offensive chants.
The same chants — by some Argentina fans — emerged before France and Argentina met in the 2022 World Cup final, which Argentina won.
France defender Wesley Fofana displayed his discontent with his Chelsea teammate Fernandez and reposted the video,
Chelsea and France forward Christopher Nkunku followed Fofana, saying on X: “God bless them,” talking about the Argentinean team’s derogatory words.
Hugo Lloris, who was France goalkeeper and captain at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, told the BBC he hoped the chanting was a mistake.
“It doesn’t matter if you are in a moment of euphoria because you have won an important trophy,” he said. “It demands even more responsibility when you are a winner.
“You don’t want to hear or see this kind of thing in football. We all stand against discrimination and racism.
“I just think and hope it is a mistake. We all make mistakes sometimes, and hopefully they will learn from it.”
