Argentina under-secretary for sports dismissed after asking Lionel Messi to apologise for racist chant by teammates
Argentina's under-secretary for sports, Julio Garro has been sacked after asking Lionel Messi to apologize for the racist chants by his teammates. Notably, La Albiceleste won the 2024 Copa America, but their celebrations took a disconcerting turn after they left the stadium in the team bus.
Enzo Fernandez was on Instagram Live, publicly sharing their excitement at the win. However, they began to sing racist chants regarding the African heritage of some black players in the France national team. This led to calls from different quarters for the Argentine players to tender an apology.
One notable person who called for an apology was former undersecretary for sports Julio Garro. The politician said on Urbana Play Radio that he expected Lionel Messi to apologize (via Infobae):
"I think that the captain of the National Team [Lionel Messi] should come out and apologize for this case, as should the president of the AFA. I think he corresponds and I agree with you, it is something that leaves us as a country in a bad position with so much glory and it would be good to take this to something exemplary."
However, this was not taken kindly by the Argentina government, who slammed Julio Garro publicly and fired him with immediate effect. They posted on their official Twitter account (translated from Spanish):
"The Office of the President reports that no government [official] 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."
Julio Garro has now responded to his sacking, taking to social media to thank the president and apologizing "if my comment offended anyone." It is worth noting that Lionel Messi was not on the bus during the events that took place, as the legendary playmaker stayed back in Miami as he lives there.
Chelsea begin investigations into Enzo Fernandez after racist chants on Instagram Live go viral
After Argentina and Lionel Messi won the Copa America, Enzo Fernandez's Instagram Live went viral due to the nature of the chants. This led to a reaction from the midfielder's Chelsea teammate Wesley Fofana, who posted the video on social media with the caption "Football in 2024: Uninhibited racism."
Fernandez has now apologized for the video, but this came after the France Football Federation reacted to the chants. They made it clear that legal steps would be taken, while FFF president Philippe Diallo would challenge FIFA and the Argentina FA for a response.
The matter has continued to escalate, especially at Chelsea, where Enzo Fernandez spends most of the football season. The midfielder has a number of black French players as teammates, and the club are now investigating the situation (via Sky Sports).