My brother made me aware of something that happened right in the aftermath of Argentina's winning of the Copa America this past weekend. It actually had it's roots back in the 2022 World Cup, after Argentina defeated France in the penalty shootout at the end of the final match to win the tournament.
Some Argentinian players, as well as fans, engaged in a taunting chant mocking the French national team, and which seems to have some themes that are arguably racist and homophobic.
Frankly, it is childish and incredibly immature. My brother made the point - which I would have to agree with - that Argentinian players should simply have focused on celebrating their accomplishments. Winning a championship is never easy, and it is an amazing accomplishment. The team that wins should show some measure of discipline in their celebrations and class towards their opponents.
Usually, that's the way that it goes. The winning side will compliment the losing side, shake hands, talk about how they were great team, and maybe how lucky we were to get the better of them. Every now and then, there are some bitter feelings between teams or players or even coaches, and there is something else, especially after some time has passed. For example, I remember former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon talking some smack about the New England Patriots players prior to and in the early part of Super Bowl XX. Chicago ended up crushing New England in that game by what was then a historical margin of victory, and which still ranks today as I write this as the second most lopsided Super Bowl in history. He mocked the Patriots players a bit, but that was part of his character trait. I've heard similar dismissal of other teams by some players on the winning side, such as the "30 For 30" documentary on the 2000 Ravens in "Bullies of Baltimore," who completely trashed the New York Giants, the team that they met in that season's Super Bowl, as irrelevant and not having a chance.
So be it. I am a Giants fan, and while I was not thrilled with how they spoke about the G-Men, the fact of the matter is that they really blew out the Giants in the big game. They actually talked some trash before the game - in fact, quite a few games all season long - but backed it up with results, to their credit. That also is part of the game. Not always my favorite part, but I can usually live with that.
But every now and then, it goes a bit further than that. Sometimes, an athlete or a team will actually display a total lack of class and humility and will, in fact, show a certain trashiness. Marshawn Lynch comes to mind for grabbing his crotch while turning and looking at beaten defenders as he jumped backwards into the end zone for a touchdown. He received a lot of criticism for that. Floyd Mayweather has been criticized for that kind of behavior, as was Roberto Duran after defeated Surar Ray Leonard in the early 1980's. John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors both were guilty of that kind of behavior during their careers, and received strong criticism for it, as well. And even though I actually liked him and felt (and still feel) that he was one of the most exciting basketball plyers in history, Reggie Miller could be like that, as well.
On very rare occasions, however, great athletes will be universally condemned for very reprehensible, or even alarming or dangerous, behavior. Mike Tyson was condemned for some of his actions numerous times during his career, most famously for biting both Evander Holyfield (during a match) and Lennon Lewis (during the prematch hype event). Lance Armstrong was universally condemned when he was caught cheating, before being stripped of his all seven of his Tour de France titles, after years of denying it. Lleyton Hewitt was similarly universally condemned after making what most people believed to be a racist comment - or at least a comment with clear racial overtones - during the 2001 US Open. Former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker made several controversial comments which were regarded as racist and xenophobic, and was severely criticized (at least by some) afterwards. At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the Spanish men's basketball team also received universal condemnation for posing for a picture with all of the players slanting their eyes. And their have been numerous incidents of fans acting out in racist ways in some events both in North America and in Europe over the years.
Well, Argentina's national team seems to have generated similar controversy. After defeating France in the 2022 World Cup Final, they performed that mocking chant against the French team. They performed the same chant after beating Colombia in the Copa America Final this past Sunday. My brother translated it, and here it is:
"They play for France but come from Angola, they run fast, they like to fuck trannies, their mothers are Nigerian, their fathers are Cambodian but their passports say 'French'."
Strange that they would fixate on the French team, since of course France, being a European nation, did not participate at all in the Copa America.
As my brother stated in the email, it is stupid, narrow-minded, pointless and classless. The Argentinian team were impressive on the field of play throughout the tournament, right to their successful title defense on Sunday. However, the team handled itself poorly once they were off the field. Their behavior was immature and, frankly, idiotic, and this should cast a shadow on what they achieved, simply for the unnecessary and unsportsmanlike conduct that they and their fans exhibited after what should have been a true triumph and moment of exaltation for the team and all of Argentina.
Lionel Messi is supposed to be the leader of that team. So far, there has been no answer to date from him.
However, there have been some answers from Argentina, including a government official, as well as a member of the Argentinian team, which I took from one of the three articles linked below (this one was from AP News by James Robson on July 17th):
An Argentinean government official said Messi, who is the team captain, and the president of the country’s soccer federation, Claudio Tapia, should apologize after a video was shared on social media showing members of Argentina’s triumphant squad singing a racist chant about French players with African heritage.
Midfielder Enzo Fernandez said he was “truly sorry” for the incident and his Premier League club Chelsea said it had begun disciplinary action, describing discriminatory behavior as “completely unacceptable.”
I had nothing particularly against Argentina before finding out about this story, and even kind of liked Messi. Now, I feel disappointment and disgust for how classless they proved to be, and in triumph, to boot. What should have been a moment of celebration for them turned ugly, and it's entirely their own fault. Their legacy deserves to be marred, as far as Ii am concerned.
What a bunch of jackasses.
Lionel Messi asked to apologize for Argentina players’ racist chant by James Robson, July 17, 2024:
https://apnews.com/article/enzo-fernandez-chants-argentina-france-b6ff158f5d9045eafe0b567f2fcd8785
French federation condemns 'racist and discriminatory remarks' by Argentina players following Copa América win Jason Owens Jason Owens Staff writer Tue, Jul 16, 2024, 6:
https://sports.yahoo.com/french-federation-condemns-racist-and-discriminatory-remarks-by-argentina-players-following-copa-america-win-220415472.html
Copa America 2024 : Les Argentins célèbrent leur titre avec un chant raciste LE RAPPORT ? - Les joueurs de la sélection d’Argentine ont entonné un chant raciste à l’encontre des joueurs de l’équipe de France après leur victoire en Copa America. A.M. mar. 16 juillet 2024
https://fr.news.yahoo.com/sport/copa-america-2024-argentins-c%C3%A9l%C3%A8brent-075825216.html?guccounter=1
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