MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Milei's gov't keeps sacking officials as global controversy over football chant mounts

Garro said and denied saying that Messi should apologize for the controversial chant

The Argentine Government of President Javier Milei sacked Sports Secretary Julio Garro after the latter said that Lionel Messi should apologize for the controversial chants of the national football team with discriminatory mentions to the ethnicity of France's players and Kylian Mbappé's sexual orientation. He was in fact called “puto” (faggot).

 “The Office of the President informs that no government can tell what to comment, what to think, or what to do to the World Champion Argentina Team and two-time America champions, nor any other citizen. For this reason, Julio Garro is stepping down as Undersecretary of Sports of the Nation,” read the announcement on X of Garro's dismissal. The official has been replaced by fellow Macrist Diógenes de Urquiza.

The former La Plata mayor had said in a radio interview that “I think the captain of the national team (Lionel Messi) should come out to apologize, as should the [Argentine Football Association] AFA President (Claudio Tapia).”

But hours later he posted on X: “I categorically deny that I have asked Messi to apologize. It would be disrespectful to someone who permanently honors us with his human and sporting qualities.”

The controversy started with a video posted by Argentina and Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández, for which he has apologized. A Nigerian social media user came out in Fernández's defense posting a video of the player interacting with his then-2-year-old son, which would support the idea that the chant was motivated purely out of footballing rivalry and would not reflect an actual dislike of black people. Other pictures of Fernández in the past would corroborate that theory.

While the French Football Federation (FFF) announced it would file a complaint for “racial and discriminatory insults” before football's governing body FIFA against Fernández and the AFA, Argentine Vice President Victoria Villarruel stepped in saying no colonialist country would intimidate the Argentine people over something [as trivial, as per Argentine culture] such as a football stadium chant.

Whatever the outcome, Fernández's French international Chelsea teammates Wesley Fofana, Axel Disasi, and Malo Gusto have already expressed their rejection of the Argentine player's posting.

“Argentina is a sovereign and free country. We never had colonies or second-class citizens. We have never imposed our way of life on anyone. But neither will we tolerate that they do it to us,” Villarruel wrote while recalling iconic non-white heroes in Argentina's history. “Argentina was made with the sweat and courage of the Indians, Europeans, Creoles, and blacks,” the Vice President went on. “Enough of feigning indignation, hypocrites. Enzo, I support you, Messi, thank you for everything, Argentines always with your heads held high, long live Argentina!” she insisted.

In any case, Milei has made it a habit to sack unlike-minded officials. This week, Presidential Advisor Teddy Karagozian was removed from the panel chaired by Damián Reidel for saying on a TV show that the data he had would not allow him to be as optimistic as Milei or Economy Minister Luis Toto Caputo. In his view, private spending was “going down faster” than public spending. “Demian Reidel, Chief Advisor to the President of the Nation, has decided to remove one of its members, Teddy Karagozian, from the Council over which he presides,” Presidential Spokesman Manuel Adorni announced. Days earlier, fellow Advisor Fausto Spotorno had to leave his job for similar reasons.

“A more homogeneous board is very likely to achieve its objectives more quickly. As the press is calling me for information, please excuse me for not speaking on this and for the time being on any other subject,” Karagozian replied on social networks.

“I, as an economist, understand the real economy, not the financial one. Let's say they are successful, but then what? How does public spending go down in relation to private spending, if we are laying off workers in companies due to the recession faster than the State is laying off workers to lower spending?” were the words that cost him his job. “I am sorry to differ, but the President has more data than me, so he is likely right and I am wrong. In my factory, and my industrialist friends, we don't see it” that way. “Today the economy did not go up, my capacity of imagination is different from the president's, but my information tells me that it is not going to happen,” said the specialist before hoping he was “very wrong.”