'Argentina song stained glory of Copa victory'

Argentina won nan Copa America, but mislaid nan respect of galore pinch nan mode of their celebration.

Midfielder Enzo Fernandez faces disciplinary proceedings astatine Chelsea aft posting a video connected societal media that nan French Football Federation said included alleged "racist and discriminatory language".

Fifa is besides investigating nan video, successful which respective members of nan Argentina squad - celebrating their 1-0 triumph complete Colombia successful nan last - return portion successful a opus primitively sung by Argentina fans questioning nan practice of France's achromatic and mixed-race players.

The world repercussions of that opus person sparked a guidance from nan Argentine government.

Javier Milei's right-wing management has nary earthy sympathy for thing that mightiness beryllium considered 'woke'.

But Julio Garro, nan under-secretary for sports, suggested that squad skipper Lionel Messi and section FA president Claudio Tapia should rumor an apology for nan opus that immoderate were singing connected nan autobus connected Sunday night. "It's near america looking bad," he said.

Others, however, person rejected nan request for an apology.

With monotonous and depressing regularity, erstwhile teams from Argentina play opponents from Brazil successful continental nine competitions, location are scenes successful nan stands of Argentine fans making monkey gestures.

When interviewed, nan perpetrators vehemently contradict that they are racists. They are indulging successful 'banter'. All is fair, they argue, successful love, warfare and football. Anything that goads and irritates nan guidance is adjacent game. And connected this latest matter, specified sentiments are widespread.

The attempts from Argentine clubs to ace down connected this behaviour person often been half-hearted, pinch references to 'xenophobia' - alternatively of calling it what it is: racism.

Especially depressing is nan truth that this behaviour has been exhibited by immoderate of nan players. Here location is nary excuse.

With nan objection of 1 of nan substitute goalkeepers, nan full squad is based successful Europe.

These players are portion of multi-national, multi-cultural, multi-racial squads. They should cognize overmuch better. Quite isolated from immoderate imaginable sanctions, location could beryllium immoderate very awkward dressing-room moments erstwhile they study backmost for pre-season training.

One of nan attractions of nationalist squad work for these players is nan chance to beryllium together pinch group from their ain culture, and singing their ain songs.

It is simply a chance for them to beryllium aggressively and assertively Argentine.

Many aspects of nan country's instrumentality civilization are wonderful. The songs tin beryllium hypnotic.

But nan lyrics to this peculiar song, which grew retired of nan Qatar World Cup final, which Argentina won connected penalties against France, are highly disturbing.

The Argentine players consequence not only insulting their achromatic team-mates and fans. These songs reproach their ain heritage.

It is uncommon these days to spot a achromatic Argentine. But that has not ever been nan case.

Going backmost to nan days of Spanish assemblage rule, nan state imported acold less enslaved Africans than neighbouring Brazil, and put an extremity to slavery decades earlier. But astir 2 100 years ago, Buenos Aires was a 3rd black.

There are galore theories, ranging from outbreaks of yellowish fever to deaths successful nan warfare for independence.

The astir coherent idea, though, is simply that they were swamped by nan millions of immigrants pouring successful from Europe and nan Middle East (especially Italy - Argentines speak Spanish pinch an Italian intonation) successful nan precocious 19th and early 20th centuries.

The African power is location successful nan cistron pool. Dark-skinned group are often nicknamed 'el negro' - which carries nary antagonistic connotation.

African power has near its mark. Argentina's astir important taste merchandise is tango. The connection is African, and nan euphony and dance, for illustration truthful galore genres of nan Americas, are nan consequence of nan operation of African, European and indigenous styles.

Because of its socially lowly origins, tango was looked down upon by nan Argentine elite, seen arsenic a vulgar arena - until it took Paris by large wind successful nan early 20th period and was frankincense legitimised.

Incidentally, it is absorbing that (just for illustration samba successful Brazil), tango successful Argentina moved successful nan other guidance from football. The philharmonic genre began astatine nan bottommost of nine and moved up, wherever shot started pinch nan elites and moved down.

A friend of excavation is simply a achromatic Uruguayan sociologist.

You mightiness expect him to person a bully radar for these things, and he lived for years successful Buenos Aires without experiencing nan slightest problem.

On nan different hand, nan specified beingness of truthful galore European immigrants successful nan southbound cone of South America was an explicitly racist project.

At nan time, location was a manner for eugenic ideas - nan belief that immoderate 'races' were superior to others.

South American leaders sought to 'improve' and 'civilise' their countries done importing a achromatic labour force.

The very presence, then, of truthful galore European descendants successful Argentina is nan consequence of racist thinking.

The thought of a level of races has ne'er wholly gone away, and has emerged successful each its scary successful nan lyrics of nan opus pinch which immoderate of nan Argentina players stained their glory connected Sunday.