The telling bit in the video where Enzo Fernandez and other Argentina players sing a racist song about France after their victory in the Copa America final is the voice you can only hear at the end.
“Corta (el) vivo,” someone says – “stop the live stream.”
They know. They know what they’re saying. They know that what they say is deeply offensive, and they know what will happen if the outside world hears it.
This is not one of those things that can be ambiguously stated. It is not something that can be denied. The words are clear and we know the words because it’s a song that’s been around for a few years.
The words to the chant were: “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 song in question came from a group of Argentine fans before the 2022 World Cup final, which was labeled at the time by French anti-racist protesters as an “expression of a far-right ideology”.
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Frankly, it’s bad enough that Argentina, presumably isolated from a PR perspective by their World Cup victory, didn’t try to distance themselves more from the song, but the fact that the players seem to have incorporated it into their celebrations is so much worse. . If anything, it speaks to an unpleasant collective mentality and pervasive culture that a group of players, in a moment of triumph, would choose this song as part of their festivities.
It is also worth noting, without wishing to detract from the blatant racism, the transphobia that also plays a role here. The full lyrics of the song refer to French players who are ‘cometravas, like Mbappé.’ “Cometravas” is a slang term that essentially translates as “someone who has sex with transgender people.”
Football in general has taken positive steps to make the game more welcoming to LGBTQ+ people. Players who actively choose not to take part in anti-homophobia campaigns are thankfully few and far between, and those who do are often punished – such as Monaco midfielder Mohamed Camara who, after posting an anti-homophobia message last season had hidden his shirt, was suspended. for four games.
However, things like this song do not help and in fact actively harm the efforts to make football a more inclusive place.
But while the song itself and the cheerful willingness of the players involved to sing it weren’t depressing enough, the aftermath was almost as bad.
Fernandez himself apologized, claiming that he “got caught up in the euphoria of our Copa America celebrations” and that the song “did not reflect my character or beliefs.” He also said, rather laughably, that “I am against discrimination in all forms.” Let’s just say that when he is inevitably forced to participate in some anti-racism campaign in the coming weeks or months, his words will ring hollow.
Chelsea themselves responded quite responsibly and released a statement outlining their own position and values. They said they would use this as “an opportunity to educate” and have initiated an internal disciplinary process.
It will be interesting to see what comes of that trial, as Fernandez was a fan and was caught singing that song in the stands at Stamford Bridge, he would be looking at the ugly end of a fairly lengthy stadium ban.
But other than that it has been very quiet.
Wesley Fofana, Chelsea’s French defender, called it ‘unchecked racism’. David Datro Fofana, the club’s Ivory Coast striker, posted a statement on Instagram saying that “racism in all its forms must be condemned in the strongest possible terms” and that the fight against racism “must be taken seriously by everyone who involved in the sport. ”.
David Datro Fofana also condemned the incident (Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images)
It’s the last bit that feels the most relevant. Because other than these two responses, plus a photo posted by Nicolas Jackson of Fernandez hugging a black child, the meaning of which is open to interpretation, there isn’t much else.
So far, only black players have publicly acknowledged the incident. Not a single white player condemned the song. Perhaps some of Fofana’s white teammates have offered private support, but as things stand, there has been nothing else.
As will be depressingly familiar, it is the black players who have to do the emotional work, and carry the mental baggage that comes with dealing with a racist incident. It reinforces the idea that racism is only a problem for black people, when it is a plague that we are all ashamed of. It isolates the black players, suggesting it’s not something anyone else needs to worry about.
Imagine the power that would come from a white player standing up unprompted and condemning the song. It would make for a valuable symbol, but it would be more than just something superficial. It would have real imports.
The clubs of the other players in the video have decided not to comment at the time of writing. It’s honestly a little difficult to definitively pinpoint who exactly is singing in the video, but everyone seems to be doing their best to ignore the issue completely.
Perhaps we can give them the benefit of the doubt and say that in due course they will talk to their Argentina players and remind them of their responsibilities – not as footballers or club representatives, but as human beings. But right now it seems like they’re just hoping the whole thing goes away.
Although it is difficult to identify the individuals singing, anyone who sat in silence while such a racist song was sung could probably at least use a conversation. The least we can expect from the clubs is that they acknowledge the incident, that they will investigate it and that if it is found that one of their players was involved, they will receive the appropriate punishment.
Chelsea are the only club to have said anything so far, not that we should necessarily give extra credit for that as they couldn’t possibly have avoided it.
Elsewhere, however, crickets. For all the glossy campaigns, well-intentioned initiatives and solemnly recorded ‘No to racism’ UEFA videos, while at times like these much of the game is silent, the idea that football is serious about tackling racism is very difficult to take seriously .
(Header photo: Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)