‘Messi told us not to insult anyone,’ says Rodrigo De Paul on Argentina’s racism accusations that tarnished Copa America win | Football News

“When the final was over, Messi came and the first thing he said was: ‘Nobody can challenge anyone, let’s celebrate and enjoy our victory’,” De Paul told OLGA.

“They always find something against the winner. Whether it’s that we got help, or that we challenge others, or that it’s not such a good team, or that South America is less developed than Europe, we didn’t see any fuss when they said those things about us. All those things would discredit what we have achieved,” he added.

In the video circulating on social media, Argentine players can be heard singing: “They play for France, but their parents are from Angola. Their mother is from Cameroon, while their father is from Nigeria. But their passports say French.”

It is a video that has irked many in the football community, including the French Football Federation (FFF), which also released a statement with president Philippe Diallo, challenging FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Argentine Football Federation president Claudio Fabian Tapia to respond to the comments in the footage. FFF also confirmed that it will file an official complaint over the video.

Fernandez’s Chelsea clubmate and French footballer Wesley Fofana also called the Argentine’s video on social media “unabashed racism”.

“I understand that people who have experienced racism might not like it. But I think if one of Enzo’s teammates feels offended, the way to do it is to call him, not to post it on social media. I think there is malice in it; they are trying to make it into something that it is not. It is very strange, like kicking someone when they are on the ground,” De Paul said.

Enzo Fernandez’s father, Raul, also came to his son’s defense: “He is not racist, never! It is difficult for a European to understand our football culture, such as chants and celebrations. He recorded that live video at an inopportune moment. It was bad, he didn’t even realize what he was singing,” he told a local TV station.

“When Germany beat us in 2014, they imitated the way gauchos walk and called us ignorant. In 2018, France mocked Messi because of his height. We never said we were discriminated against,” he added.