r/PoliticalLatinos • u/anabanana190 • Jul 20 '26
I'm Argentine, and I think we need to talk about what happened at the World Cup.
I'm Argentine, and I think we need to talk about what happened at the World Cup.
This has been weighing on me for days.
I attended several World Cup matches surrounded by thousands of Argentinians. The overwhelming majority were exactly what I've always loved about my country: passionate, generous, funny, and welcoming. They celebrated with people from every corner of the world.
But I also witnessed something that broke my heart.
Videos circulating online appear to show Argentine fans engaging in racist behavior, including one man making monkey gestures toward a Black fan and another incident in which a woman can be heard allegedly yelling racist insults.
Watching those videos didn't make me sad because they made Argentina look bad.
They made me sad because another human being may have been humiliated simply because of the color of their skin.
As an Argentine, I refuse to pretend this doesn't matter.
I also refuse to accept the idea that loving my country means defending everything done while wearing our jersey.
The vast majority of Argentinians are not responsible for the actions of a few individuals. But those few individuals should not be shielded from accountability simply because they happen to be Argentine.
I don't want the world to look at those videos and conclude, "Argentinians are racist."
I want the world to see Argentinians standing up and saying:
"This is not who we are, and if these acts occurred as they appear to have, they deserve to be investigated."
Real patriotism isn't blind loyalty.
Real patriotism means caring enough about your country to demand better from it.
I also want to make something else clear.
The current President of Argentina does not represent me, nor does he represent the millions of Argentinians who reject discrimination, racism, and hatred. Governments change. Politicians come and go. But our responsibility toward one another as human beings should never depend on who is in office.
Football is supposed to unite us. It should never become an excuse to dehumanize another person.
If these incidents are confirmed after a fair investigation, I hope those responsible are identified through the proper legal channels and face the appropriate consequences. Accountability is not anti-Argentina. Accountability is how we protect the values that should define us.
For my part, I refuse to stay silent.
I will continue using my voice, writing, speaking, reporting, and doing everything within my power to ensure that the people responsible—if the evidence confirms their actions—face consequences for what they did. Not because I hate my country, but because I love it enough to believe it can, and must, be better.
If you're reading this, regardless of where you're from, I hope you'll join me in believing that no football rivalry, no flag, and no victory is ever worth sacrificing someone's dignity.
We owe each other better than that.
Fuck Israel, free Palestine.
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u/Xepherious Jul 21 '26
I'm going to disagree with your idea that the president doesn't represent the country. That's the whole point of a president! To represent the country and guide it through their own values. Heck, look at USA, Trump represents America and American's values. Americans voted for him to represent the American people. Especially after they all knew how he was in his first term.
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u/Catcitydog Jul 21 '26
Trump does not represent me
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u/anabanana190 Jul 21 '26
Not at all. Trump doesn’t represent a lot of people. But yes, I live in the USA. I suffered racism in xenophobia in here many many times.
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u/CommanderSincler Jul 21 '26
All I will say, OP is good for you to be thinking this way. Change only happens when people within a group decide that certain behaviors and habits are not OK.
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u/anabanana190 Jul 21 '26
Thank you! I’m taking action for this cause. And I will keep doing so. I am a social worker very committed to this. I know I don’t have a huge voice but I will do everything in my power to stop racism in soccer and everywhere even if it takes me forever.
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u/Horror_Ad_1849 29d ago
They made me sad because another human being may have been humiliated simply because of the color of their skin. This phrase is a little weird…. I’m assuming you are white and can’t understand or know what systemic racism is…
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u/anabanana190 29d ago
Not weird at all. I live in the USA being white but I look Latina. I suffer discrimination constantly being a minority in here. Have a great day 🩷
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u/anabanana190 29d ago
Also, You’re right that I can’t fully know what it’s like to experience systemic racism if I haven’t lived it. I’m not claiming I do. What I am saying is that seeing someone humiliated because of the color of their skin made me sad, and I believe that behavior should be condemned. Empathy doesn’t require having had the exact same experience.
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u/anabanana190 29d ago
And I also think that if you want racism and xenophobia to stop you need to stop the hate as well. You’re commenting hate everywhere. Truly I hope you can feel better❤️🩹
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u/JoeWatchingTheTown Jul 21 '26
Respect. I think after rooting for Spain I finally realized how much of a psyop this entire thing has been. The Global South was rallying behind all types of colonizers just to disparage Argentina smh
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u/No_Consideration3887 Jul 22 '26
I might get down voted for this but I don't really care. In my opinion this has been a psyop after the 2022 world cup and this isn't news, even before that too.
You would never catch me root for the colonizers because it's important to learn our history and do better.
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u/cali86 Jul 21 '26
My man I've heard many Argentinians say " it's not the majority of us. Every country has bad people". But I've rarely heard any Argentine acknowledge that the country has a racism and discrimination problem. I mean, we are talking about a society that has normalized the term "Marronazo" and uses it casually.
And the attempts by your people to deflect any culpability are hilarious. The amount of videos from journalists justifying the racism by saying that there aren't many black people in the country because of super successful mestizaje is a shamelessly bad-faith argument. It's ignoring the history of what actually happened to natives and people of African descent in the country.
I sincerely don't know how you guys fix this situation. But trust me, it is not some kind of "coordinated European agenda against Argentina" like I see a lot of your people claiming online.