3 months ago
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- Argentina's President has fired an official who called for Lionel Messi to apologise for Enzo Fernandez's chants
- Fernandez has been in the news after a video of him leading his teammates in singing alleged racial slurs went viral
- The President has categorically stated that no government official should tell the national team what to do
Enzo Fernandez's alleged racist chants have caused a division in Argentina's government after the Sports Undersecretary, Julio Garro, was dismissed.
Garro was fired by President Javier Milei after he publicly asked Lionel Messi to apologise for his teammates' chants, which elicited widespread public debate.
Source: Getty Images
What did Enzo Fernandez say about French footballers?
Following Argentina's triumph in the 2024 Copa America, Fernandez led some of his teammates in singing slurs aimed at members of the French football team.
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The incident attracted the attention of the French FA, who demanded an explanation from their Argentine counterparts. FIFA and Fernandez's club, Chelsea, have since opened investigations into the issue.
In the aftermath of the incident, Garro called on team captain Messi and the President of the Argentine FA, Claudio Tapia, to apologise.
"The captain of the national team must come out and apologise. So should the president of the AFA. It makes us, as a country, look bad after so much happiness," as quoted by AS.Argentina fire official who asked Messi to apologise
The country's president seemed unimpressed by the comments, dismissing Garro in an official statement on his X account. Milei reiterated that no government official should dictate what the football team should do.
"The Office of the President reports that no government official can tell the Argentine National Team or any other citizen what to think or what to do. For this reason, Julio Garro ceases to be Undersecretary of Sports," read part of the statement.In a quick rejoinder, Garro thanked the president for giving him the opportunity to serve but remained defiant that he had made the correct call.
"I am very sorry if my comment offended anyone; that was never my intention, and that is why I made my resignation available, although I will always be on the other side of discrimination in all its forms," he posted on his X account.Messi was among the few members of Lionel Scaloni's team that was not on the bus when the incident happened.
Enzo Fernandez apologises for his comments
Legit.ng has also reported that Fernandez has apologised for his role in leading the alleged racist chants.
The Chelsea midfielder has faced public backlash, with some of his club teammates unfollowing him on Instagram.
The newly-minted Copa America winner apologised for what he termed as 'highly offensive'.
Source: Legit.ng
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