The video where Argentina’s players are seen singing a song with racist terms against French national team athletes during their Copa America title celebration continues to make waves.
The coach of Argentina’s Olympic team, Javier Mascherano, gave an interview to AFP defending his compatriots. According to the former Albiceleste player, the terms used are not racist.
“If there’s one thing we Argentinians are not, it’s racists, far from it. I think everything was taken out of context,” Mascherano said.
The former player defended midfielder Enzo Fernández, who was recording the video during the racist chants. According to Mascherano, it’s important to understand the context in which the terms were used.
“I know Enzo, he’s a good kid and has no issue with this. What happens is that often, during a celebration, they take a part of a video and take it out of context […] Many times it’s necessary to understand each country’s culture and what we see as a joke can be misinterpreted elsewhere,” stated the coach.
The French Football Federation has reached out to FIFA to investigate the incident. The French Minister of Sports labeled the episode as pathetic and unacceptable.