 "Argentina sacks sports undersecretary for asking Lionel Messi to apologise in racist chant controversy")
Argentina’s Undersecretary for Sports, Julio Garro, was sacked on Thursday after he demanded that Argentian football team captain Lionel Messi should apologise for the alleged racist chants sung by his side after Copa America victory against Colombia.
A video from Enzo Fernandez’s live stream of the Argentinian football team’s bus celebrations after the Copa America win had gone viral after the players were heard mocking the French players and their African heritage.
As per media reports, one of the verses in the song was: “They play for France, but their parents are from Angola. Their mother is from Cameroon, while their father is from Nigeria. But their passport says French.”
Garro demanded an apology from Messi and Argentine Football Federation president Claudio Fabian Tapia after the video went viral.
“I think [Messi] should come out and offer the appropriate apologies, as should the Argentine Football Federation president [Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia],” Garro told radio station Urbana Play on Wednesday. He added that video “leaves Argentina looking bad as a country.”
On Thursday, Argentina President Javier Milei’s Office posted on X that Garro has been removed from his position
“No government can tell what to comment, what to think or what to do to the Argentine 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,” The account of Oficina del Presidente wrote on X.
La Oficina del Presidente informa que ningún gobierno puede decirle qué comentar, qué pensar o qué hacer a la Selección Argentina Campeona del Mundo y Bicampeona de América, ni a ningún otro ciudadano. Por esta razón, Julio Garro deja de ser Subsecretario de Deportes de la… pic.twitter.com/o4JRC7gGB1
— Oficina del Presidente (@OPRArgentina) July 17, 2024
FIFA, meanwhile, opened an investigation into racist chants by Argentina players on Wednesday.
“FIFA is aware of a video circulating on social media and the incident is being looked into,” a spokesperson for world football’s governing body said. “FIFA strongly condemns any form of discrimination by anyone including players, fans and officials.”
Fernandez’s club Chelsea have also announced they had launched an internal disciplinary procedure against the midfielder.
Fernandez has since apologised, saying: “The song includes highly offensive language and there is absolutely no excuse for these words. I stand against discrimination in all forms and apologise for getting caught up in the euphoria of our Copa America celebrations.”
The French Football Federation (FFF) complained to FIFA about the chants on Monday.
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