Copa America 2024 - General Thread

Yeah I was at the final. This tournament has been poorly run from start to end honestly but the final was ridiculous. Plenty of blame to go around, including CONMEBOL but I will say the people who run Hard Rock Stadium clearly had no idea how soccer games work outside of the US. People dont hang out at the stadium 2-3 hours before kick off like they do here ‘cause at many places there’s nothing to do and not even alcohol. And unticketed people trying to jump the gates is such an obvious security risk. C’mon guys, seriously?

I dont think the WC will run like this. FIFA is far more experienced that these clowns at CONMEBOL and others who run this shittily-run tournament.

 

Sigh so tired of this shit honestly. And I can see the predictable response: Oh don’t you see? It was a joke! No offense intended! ‘Cause it’s not the people chanting racist songs who are at fault, it’s obviously the rest of us for just not getting the joke.

Kudos to the journalist who posted this tweet. Well said.

 

They were doing this in Qatar too. That is where it started. Not sure why Argentines have a problem with black descendants of immigrants playing for France, or other countries, when their whole team is made up of descendants of immigrants. Maybe Messi and Di Maria should be playing for Italy, if they want to apply their approach. It sure looks racist.

 

It certainly did not start in Qatar, as both racist and homophobic chants are part of ARG football *folklore*.

You see, in their mind it is *cute* to use racist and homophobic chants to get under a rival's skin. Somehow, their dumb actions remain easily documented during the social media era.

To be fair, that mindset is a subset of the larger picture of racism within South American football.

For instance, ask anyone in South America about how ECU arose within Conmebol. Many will quickly answer: "biotipo". Some dumb logic where brute physicality of ECU Black players has allowed it to qualify during the modern era. No consideration whatsoever to the fact that both Conmebol's adoption of round-robin qualifiers (1996) and WC expansion to 32 teams (1998) has helped ECU cross the finish line since 2002.

 

Let the hypocrisy parade begin!

 

Colombian managers helped out Ecuador futbol too. At least initially improving and qualifying for World Cups.

 

I thought they meant that France has immigrant players, but that's not true either. Few few were born abroad, and those migrated as yough children. So the Argentine players are both racist and ignorant.

The phrase "son come trabas" is sexist as well.

 

I saw some TV program discussing the Argentina players’ actions, and they put up a stat showing that France had 16 black/mixed race players on their roster at the Euro, and 15 of them were born in France. Only Camavinga was born abroad. So, the Argentina players (and fans) are clearly ignorant, in addition to being pretty racist. (That is probably the usual combination.)

 

Maybe football history must repeat itself, if we do not learn from it.

It is unfortunate that an URU fan decides to close ranks with racist practices in ARG football culture, considering that URU players were targets of blatant racism during the birth of Copa America.

A few lines about black URU players in 1916 CA: CHI officials tried to annul their 4-0 defeat vs URU, claiming that URU fielded Africans instead of URU nationals. Black URU player Isabelino Gradin scored twice vs CHI, and went on to become both 1916 CA champ and top goal scorer.

https://www.raicesuruguay.com/raices/gradin.html

...En ese momento Uruguay era la nación más progresista del Cono Sur, a diferencia, por ejemplo, de Brasil que había abolido formalmente la esclavitud solo en 1888. Y donde, sin embargo, la exclusión y el desprecio por los negros y mulatos estaban vigentes en el futbol, como en Brasil donde Arthur Friedenreich, máximo goleador de la Copa en 1919, pero luego se mantuvo fuera de la Selección durante algunos años porque, se decía, el entonces presidente de la República, Epitacio Pessoa, prohibió la convocatoria de deportistas negros. En esa primera Copa de 1916 Isabelino, de 19 años, marcó 3 goles, 2 a Chile en el partido inaugural y uno a la Brasil de Friedenreich, consiguiendo el título de rey del bombardero y la propia copa. Al día siguiente del partido con los chilenos, los dirigentes de Santiago, prueba del racismo imperante en el continente, pidieron la cancelación del partido "porque Uruguay alineó a dos africanos", recordó Eduardo Galeano en su, “Esplendores y miserias del fútbol”. Afortunadamente no se les escuchó...

...In that time [1916], Uruguay was the most progressive nation in the Southern part of the continent, in contrast to Brazil which had formally abolished slavery in 1888. A region where nonetheless, exclusion and contempt for Blacks and Mulattoes were ubiquitous in soccer, like in Brasil where Arthur Friedenreich, 1919 CA top goal scorer, later stayed away from his national team for some years because, it was said, then Brazil's president Pessoa banned Black athletes from it. In that first Copa of 1916, 19-year-old Isabelino scored 3 goals, 2 against CHI in the opening game and one against Friedenriech's BRA, earning the titles of top goal scorer and tournament champion. The day after the match, CHI fed officials as proof of prevailing racism in the continent, asked the match to be annulled "because URU fielded two African players", as noted in Eduardo Galeano's "Splendors and Miseries of Football". Fortunately, their request fell on deaf ears...

 

It's a dig that they were shite and would probably still be shite if not for opening their borders. But yeah...it's stupid (OBV). Immigration makes countries stronger and this (i.e. the France NT) is just one small example of that.

 

No. Sorry. It is much worse than that.

I get your point, but you are burying the lead. Griezmann is of Portuguese and German descent, Theo Hernandez and Lucas Hernandez are of Spanish descent. Why weren’t their origins mentioned too? What is different about them? Oh yeah, they are white. This is clearly a racist chant/song created by a racist element of the Argentine fanbase. Unfortunately, that element is widespread in Argentina. We have seen it in past World Cups, notably in Qatar, and certainly in the South American club competitions. But to see it sung/chanted by the ENTIRE ARGENTINE NATIONAL TEAM is disappointing, and disgusting. I imagine that they will not be warmly received in many of their travels abroad, including back to the USA in 2026.

 

Playing devil's advocate one could argue Portugal, Germany and Spain weren't colonized. Besides, the song only mentions one french player.

I honestly think it's more xenophobic (and homophobic) than racist. Still just as bad, of course.

 

No. It appears to be both. It talks about them all being from Angola, Nigeria, and Cameroon, and not Portugal, Germany, and Spain (Griezmann, Theo and Lucas Hernandez). Mbappe’s parents are from Cameroon and Algeria. I guess that they are OK with the Algeria part.

French soccer has been dominated by immigrants going back a long time, famously including Raymond Kopa at the 1958 World Cup (Polish descent), Platini (Italian descent), Luis Fernandez and Manuel Amoros (Spanish descent), Zidane (Algerian descent), Youri Djorkaeff (Armenian and Polish descent), etc., etc., etc.

Of course, some ignorant a$$hole “fans” came up with those words, not the players. But it is unbelievable that the players think that it is acceptable to repeat that garbage.

These guys are all millionaires and earn their living in jobs where they work with black players. How can they be so stupid? They deserve whatever consequences result from their idiotic behavior.

Stupidity and ignorance on multiple levels. With more than a bit of racism too.

 

No change is gonna happen. The world should just accept that is how ARG football culture really is.

Yesterday, 23-year-old Enzo Fernandez was invited for an event at his home club River Plate. What do you think River Plate fans chanted for Enzo? You guessed it.

River Plate supporters sung racist song during during tribute event for Enzo Fernandez

https://www.tycsports.com/video/riv...te-el-homenaje-a-enzo-fernandez-id744773.html

Saddest part is that a young player will be made the scapegoat for all of this.
No veteran members of his national team, nor his captain, will share responsibility for offensive chanting performed by his squad.

 

Enzo could have earned himself some grace points by gesturing to the crowd to stop singing the song.