Argentina National Football Team, France National Team Insulted
Vice President Faces Controversy Over Racism Support
The Argentina national football team chanted a racially discriminatory song belittling the French team. The controversy was further fueled when the Vice President of Argentina came to defend the national players; he has a history of mocking BTS by saying their name sounds like a sexually transmitted disease.
The incident occurred on the 15th (local time) inside a bus. After defeating Colombia 1-0 in the 2024 Copa America final held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, USA, and securing their 16th tournament trophy, the Argentina team, intoxicated with victory, sang a song belittling the French players while traveling by bus. At that moment, player Enzo Fernandez (of Chelsea) started a live broadcast on social media, which led to the widespread revelation of the incident.
The song the players sang that day was created by Argentina fans during the 2022 Qatar World Cup to mock the French players. The parents of the French national team players are of African descent, from Nigeria, Cameroon, etc., and the song includes content about Kylian Mbappe dating a transgender person. Argentina had won the World Cup by defeating France in the final.
The French Football Federation expressed outrage, stating, "Considering the seriousness of these shocking remarks that go against the values of sports and human rights, we will file a complaint with FIFA." Chelsea, Enzo’s club at the time of the live broadcast, issued a statement announcing disciplinary action against Enzo. In response, Enzo posted on social media, "The song sung during the victory celebration contained offensive words. I apologize without making excuses," adding, "The words in that video do not reflect my beliefs or character."
However, Argentina did not issue an apology. Their stance was, "It’s just a song sung for fun in the stadium, this is too much," and "Most of the French national team players are Black, and the song simply states facts, so what’s the problem?" Some even responded, "Can France, which colonized Africa and exploited Black people, accuse us of racism?"
In particular, Victoria Villarruel, Vice President of Argentina, defended the team on her personal social media, saying, "No colonial country can threaten us just because a football song tells an uncomfortable truth they don’t want to admit. Don’t pretend to be angry, hypocrites. Enzo, I’m on your side." She had previously been embroiled in controversy for hateful remarks about BTS. In 2020, she posted on social media, "BTS sounds like a medical insurance or sexually transmitted disease name," and targeted BTS leader RM by saying, "I dislike Koreans with pink hair."
As the controversy, fueled even by the Vice President, showed signs of escalating into a diplomatic issue, the Argentine government, preparing for the French President’s official visit to Malaysia next week, issued an apology through the Presidential Chief of Staff. Karina Milei, who is also the President’s sister, personally apologized to the French ambassador for the Vice President’s remarks. Manuel Adorni, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, also clarified at a regular press conference on the 19th, "The Vice President’s opinions do not represent the official position of the Argentine government."
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