The French Football Federation (FFF) have made a complaint over a ‘shocking’ racist chant made by Argentina players on Sunday night.
Argentina beat Colombia 1-0 in the Copa America final on Sunday, making it back-to-back victories in the competition having also won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
However, social media footage on Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez’s Instagram showed the Argentine squad chanting about the France international team.
The song references how many of France’s players are of African heritage, with a translated version being: “They play for France, but their parents are from Angola. Their mother is from Cameroon, while their father is from Nigeria. But their passport says French.”
The FFF have strongly condemned the Argentina squad and have subsequently lodged a formal complaint with FIFA.
An FFF statement on Tuesday read: “The president of the French Football Federation, Philippe Diallo, condemns in the strongest terms the unacceptable racist and discriminatory remarks which were made against the players of the French team in the context of a song sung by players and supporters of the Argentina team after its victory in the Copa America and broadcast in a video on social media.
“Faced with the seriousness of these shocking remarks, contrary to the values of sport and human rights, the president of the FFF decided to directly challenge his Argentine counterpart and FIFA and to file a legal complaint for insulting remarks of a racial and discriminatory nature.”
Chelsea star Wesley Fofana, who is Fernandez’s teammate, took to social media to make a response by posting the video.
The French defender wrote: “Le football en 2024 : racisme decomplexe,” which loosely translates to: “Football in 2024: embarrassing racism.”
Argentina played France in the World Cup final in 2022, which finished 3-3 and went to penalties.
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The Albiceleste went on to claim victory in the shootout despite Kylian Mbappe scoring a hat-trick as Lionel Messi bagged twice and lifted his first World Cup.
It was during this match when the chant was heard from sections of the Argentine fans at the Lusail Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
Fernandez was sharing a live video on Instagram when the chant was heard on the team bus before the footage was abruptly ended.
Amid the celebrations, no player could be identified by the footage over who was singing the chant.
It was Lautaro Martinez who scored an extra-time winner against Colombia at the Hard Rock Stadium, where a security breach led to the match being delayed by 75 minutes,
Messi, meanwhile, was forced off with a gruesome injury to his ankle that saw his foot horrifically swell up.
News Summary:
- France lodge complaint over Argentina’s ‘unacceptable racist remarks’ as Wesley Fofana calls out Chelsea teammate Enzo Fernandez
- Check all news and articles from the latest Football updates.