Several days after the racist chant by Argentinian players after their victory in the Copa America, indignation is not abating in France. Hugo Lloris, the former captain of the French team, called the song “a full-scale attack on the French people, in particular against the French who have African origins and families”, on the BBC microphone.
The Los Angeles FC goalkeeper added: “It doesn’t matter if you’re in a moment of euphoria because you’ve won an important trophy. It demands even more responsibility when you’re a winner. I hope they learn from it. You don’t want to hear or see that kind of thing in football. We’re all against discrimination and racism.”
A State Affair
Earlier, other French reactions had quickly emerged. First through Wesley Fofana, whose club teammate Enzo Fernandez filmed the chant on the bus. “Unabashed racism,” the Chelsea defender posted on X, before Jules Koundé deplored a “lamentable” chant. On X, the French team goalkeeper Mike Maignan played on irony by writing “Everything is fine, they will open an investigation.”
Also, the Argentine Undersecretary of Sports Julio Garro is one of the collateral victims of this affair. This member of the government, who had asked the captain of the Albiceleste Lionel Messi for a public apology, was dismissed from his duties. The vice-president of the country, Victoria Villarruel, denies the racist nature of the song.
