Argentine players cannot use the euphoria of their Copa America victory as an excuse for their racist chants about the French national team, according to the former France captain Hugo Llorisadding that the song was an “attack on the French people.”
A video posted by Argentina international Enzo Fernandez on Instagram after his side beat Colombia 1-0 in Sunday’s final featured a song sung by some members of the Argentina squad about France’s players of African descent.
FIFA is investigating the video after the French Football Federation (FFF) branded it “racist and discriminatory.” Chelsea, the Premier League club where Fernandez plays, also launched an internal disciplinary procedure over the matter. Fernandez later apologized for the video saying he got caught up in the euphoria of the celebrations and that the song does not reflect his beliefs or his character in his fight against discrimination.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re in a moment of euphoria because you’ve won an important trophy,” Lloris told the BBC on Thursday. “It demands even more responsibility when you’re a winner.” “We’re all against discrimination and racism. I just think and hope it’s a mistake. We all make mistakes sometimes and I hope they learn from it.”
Argentina’s vice president, Victoria Villarruel, defended Fernández and the team and the country’s Undersecretary of Sports, Julio Garro, was removed from his post for suggesting captain Lionel Messi apologize for the chants.
Read also
Lloris, who is France’s most capped player and their 2018 World Cup-winning captain, said Argentina deserved credit for what they have achieved in the sport in recent years, becoming “the face of football in the world”. “You (the Argentine players) are an example for others, especially for children. It was a real attack on the French people, especially for French people who have some African origin and family,” he said.
