Fallout intensifies over soccer star Enzo Fernández and Argentina teammates singing racist chant about France

By Matias Grez, CNN

(CNN) — The fallout from Enzo Fernández and the Argentina national team’s racist chant has intensified as Argentina’s undersecretary of sport was sacked, while former France captain Hugo Lloris called it “an attack about French people.”

Earlier this week, Fernández apologized for the video, which was posted on Instagram from the team bus after winning the Copa América, saying it does not “reflect my beliefs or my character.” His club Chelsea has launched an internal disciplinary investigation and the French Football Federation has filed a legal complaint.

Julio Garro, Argentina’s undersecretary of sport, said on Argentine radio that national team captain Lionel Messi and Argentinian Football Association (AFA) president Claudio Tapia should apologize.

That prompted the country’s president, Javier Milei, to sack Garro.

“The Office of the President reports that no government can tell the Argentine National Team, world champion and two-time American champion, what to comment, what to think or what to do to or to any other citizen,” Milei wrote on X on Thursday.

“For this reason, Julio Garro ceases to be undersecretary of sports of the nation.”

However, Garro later “categorically denied” asking Messi to apologize.

“It would be a lack of respect for those who permanently honor us with their human and sporting quality,” he wrote on X.

Neither Messi or Tapia have publicly commented on the incident.

In a separate post, Garro went on to thank Milei for letting him be part of his team.

“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,” he wrote.

The country’s vice-president, Victoria Villarruel, also slammed Fernández’s critics.

“No colonialist country is going to intimidate us for a song that is sung on the pitch or for telling the truths that they do not want to admit,” she wrote on X. “Stop feigning indignation, hypocrites. Enzo, I support you, Messi, thank you for everything! Argentines always with their heads held high! Long live Argentina!”

But Lloris, who was France’s goalkeeper and captain in the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina, was scathing of Fernández and the Argentine national team.

In his apology, Fernández said he was “caught up in the euphoria,” but Lloris insisted this was no excuse.

“It doesn’t matter if you are in a moment of euphoria because you have won an important trophy,” he told the BBC. “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. They [Argentina] are the face of football right now, in South America, in the world. They deserve a lot of credit for what they have done on the field for the last four or five years.

“But when you win, you are an example for others, especially kids. It was a proper attack about the French people, especially for the French people who have some African origin and family.”

Former Chelsea striker Demba Ba posted a quote from French outlet Liberation on his X account, writing: “‘Argentina, land of aslyum for former Nazis on the run. Since 1945, Peron has welcomed war criminals’ – Liberation.”

He added: “And this surprises you…”

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