No one criticizes Lionel Messi in Argentina and gets away with it! Seriously. Julio Garro — Argentina's former undersecretary of sport — lost his job on Thursday after he publicly called for Messi to apologize after the Argentinian national team sang a racially insensitive song after winning the Copa America.
Following a 1-0 win over Colombia in the final, midfielder Enzo Fernandez livestreamed himself and teammates singing the song, which makes fun of Black players on the French national team.
Listen, spread the word / They play in France, but they’re all from Angola / How lovely, they will run / They are trans lovers like that f*ck Mbappe / Your mom is Nigerian, your dad is Cameroonian / But on your ID, it says French nationality.
Garro said that by chanting the derogatory lyrics, the team put Argentina in a bad light. Fernandez has already apologized publicly for sharing the footage via social media, but Messi hasn't addressed it. "I think the captain [Messi] of the national team and AFA [Argentina Football Association's] president [Claudio Tapia] should come out and apologize for this case," Garro told Argentinian radio Urbano Play. "It is fitting.