The French Football Federation says it has filed a legal complaint over an “unacceptable, racist and discriminatory” chant made by a number of Argentina players following their Copa America win.
In the aftermath of Argentina's 1-0 victory over Colombia in the Copa America final on Sunday night, a video filmed by Enzo Fernandez showed him and his teammates chanting about the France national team.
The lyrics to the chant were as followed: “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.”
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A number of Argentina players can be seen chanting together on a bus, with the derogatory song seemingly starting towards the end of an Instagram live before Fernandez was instructed to stop filming.
At the time of writing, the Argentine Football Federation has yet to address the video, which has been viewed on social media over a million times.
Now, the French Football Federation (FFF) have released a statement regarding the incident.
“The president of the French Football Federation, Philippe Diallo, condemns in the strongest terms the unacceptable racist and discriminatory remarks which were made against the players of the French team in the context of a song sung by players and supporters of the Argentina team after its victory in the Copa America and broadcast in a video on social media,” the statement read on Tuesday.
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“Faced with the seriousness of these shocking remarks, contrary to the values of sport and human rights, the president of the FFF decided to directly challenge his Argentine counterpart and FIFA and to file a legal complaint for insulting remarks of a racial and discriminatory nature.”
Ahead of the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France, La Albiceleste fans were heard singing a racist and transphobic chant towards the French national team and Kylian Mbappe.
The chant claims that France’s players are ‘all from Angola’, and makes a vile reference to an alleged relationship between Kylian Mbappe and transgender model Ines Rau.
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SPORTbible has contacted the Argentina FA and Enzo Fernandez's representatives for comment.
Topics: Argentina, France, Copa America
Jack Kenmare