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WHITENESS AND GLOBAL RACISM
Placing Argentina’s Copa América Racist Chant In Context
Erasing a history of racial identity only fuels racial hatred
Argentina footballers are once again in the spotlight for anti-Black racism. After defeating Colombia to lift the Copa América trophy, members of the Argentina national football team chanted racist slurs about Black French players (France, of course, is not even part of Copa América). The chant was live-streamed by Argentine star Enzo Fernandez, who is now facing an investigation by French football authorities and his English club Chelsea.
The level of racism and transphobia in the chant is so extreme that it’s difficult to even transcribe it here. Part of the chant that is commonly cited in articles and social media is
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 chant is not a recent creation but a relic from Argentina’s 2022 FIFA World Cup victory in Qatar when Argentina fans first sang it.
These obscene displays of racism and transphobia by Argentinian footballers are a stark contradiction to the progressive image of Argentina. Despite being one of the most liberal countries in Latin America and the world, where abortion and same-sex marriage are legal and nonbinary identities recognized, oppressive cultural and structural racism and colorism are common in Argentina.
Constructing a myth of Argentinian “Whiteness”
Argentina has long sought to promote a myth of being a “White” country. Argentina’s national football team is not only…
