Argentina's undersecretary of sport has been dismissed following his call for Lionel Messi to issue an apology over a racist and transphobic song aimed at France's players, as the affair stemming from the Copa América final celebrations continues to draw official responses on both sides.
The Guardian reports that the former France captain Hugo Lloris characterised the chants — audible in a video posted to Instagram by Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández — as "an attack on French people". The footage showed Fernández and several Argentina teammates joining in the song as they celebrated their victory over Colombia in the final.
Chelsea confirmed earlier this week that they had opened an internal disciplinary procedure against Fernández. The club is expected to issue a fine. Fernández has already offered a public apology, stating that the video did not reflect his beliefs or his character — though the statement has done little to quiet the reaction in France or, it now appears, within Argentina's own government.
The dismissal of the undersecretary is a notable escalation. Officials in such roles rarely face consequences for public statements about footballing matters, and the speed of his removal suggests the Argentine authorities were keen to distance the administration from any perception that the chants were being defended or minimised. His call for Messi to apologise — presumably on behalf of the squad as its most prominent figure — appears to have been judged as more inflammatory than conciliatory.
For Fernández, the episode represents a serious complication at the start of a period in which he will be expected to repay the considerable investment Chelsea made in bringing him to Stamford Bridge. A disciplinary procedure from a club is not a trivial matter, even when the likely outcome is a financial penalty rather than a suspension. The broader reputational damage is harder to quantify.
Lloris, who captained France across multiple major tournaments before stepping back from international duty, carries considerable moral authority when he speaks on matters involving the national team. His framing of the video as an attack on French people rather than merely an offensive song shifts the register from a footballing controversy toward something with wider social weight. Whether that framing prompts any further formal response — from UEFA, FIFA, or the Football Association — remains to be seen. For now, the facts of the matter are still settling, and Chelsea's internal process has yet to conclude.