The dust generated by Argentina’s celebration song after wining the Copa America may not settle anytime soon.
Yes Argentina won the Copa America, but lost the respect of many with the manner of their celebration.
One of their players Enzo Fernandez who plays professional football in England with Chelsea faces disciplinary proceedings at the London Club after posting a video on social media that the French Football Federation said included alleged “racist and discriminatory language”.
Football’s governing body Fifa gas waded into the matter by investigating the video, in which several members of the Argentina squad – celebrating their 1-0 win over Colombia in the final – take part in a song originally sung by Argentina fans questioning the heritage of France’s black and mixed-race players.
The global repercussions of that song have sparked a reaction from the Argentine government.
They have been calls for team captain Lionel Messi and local FA president Claudio Tapia to issue an apology for the song that some were singing on the bus on Sunday night.
When interviewed, the perpetrators vehemently deny that they are racists. They are indulging in ‘banter’. All is fair, they argue, in love, war and football. Anything that goads and irritates the opposition is fair game. And on this latest matter, such sentiments are widespread.
The attempts from Argentine clubs to crack down on this behaviour have often been half-hearted, with references to ‘xenophobia’ – instead of calling it what it is: racism.
Especially depressing is the fact that this behaviour has been exhibited by some of the players. Here there is no excuse.
With the exception of one of the substitute goalkeepers, the entire squad is based in Europe.
These players are part of multi-national, multi-cultural, multi-racial squads. They should know much better. Quite apart from any possible sanctions, there could be some very awkward dressing-room moments when they report back for pre-season training.
Enzo Fernandez apologised after posting a video on social media that the French Football Federation said included an alleged “racist and discriminatory” chant
But the lyrics to this particular song, which grew out of the Qatar World Cup final, which Argentina won on penalties against France, are extremely disturbing.
The Argentine players risk not only insulting their black team-mates and fans. These songs insult their own heritage.
It is rare these days to see a black Argentine. But that has not always been the case.
Going back to the days of Spanish colonial rule, the country imported far fewer enslaved Africans than neighbouring Brazil, and put an end to slavery decades earlier. But around two hundred years ago, Buenos Aires was a third black.
The African influence is there in the gene pool. Dark-skinned people are often nicknamed ‘el negro’ – which carries no negative connotation.
African influence has left its mark. Argentina’s most significant cultural product is tango. The word is African, and the music and dance, like so many genres of the Americas, are the consequence of the mix of African, European and indigenous styles.
Because of its socially lowly origins, tango was looked down upon by the Argentine elite, seen as a vulgar phenomenon – until it took Paris by storm in the early 20th century and was thus legitimised.
Incidentally, it is interesting that (just like samba in Brazil), tango in Argentina moved in the opposite direction from football. The musical genre began at the bottom of society and moved up, where football started with the elites and moved down.
Football Community Frowns At Argentina Celebration Song After Copa America Victory
