‘Go Cry At The Zoo': Argentina's World Cup Racism Mess Refuses To Die

Last Updated:July 09, 2026, 22:23 IST

Argentina faces FIFA racism investigations, UEFA disciplinary cases, and scrutiny over its close ties with Israel, highlighting a long-standing issue of prejudice.

Argentina reached the World Cup quarterfinals this week. It also sits under a FIFA racism investigation, a UEFA disciplinary case involving one of its own players, and a foreign policy built on one of the tightest alliances any country outside Washington has forged with Tel Aviv.

None of it is new. Argentine football has argued about its own prejudice for more than a century, and five separate episodes now explain why the argument keeps resurfacing.

Does Argentina Have A Racism Problem?

Argentina looks disproportionately European for a Latin American nation because of deliberate policy. In the 19th century, President Domingo Sarmiento subsidized mass European immigration specifically to dilute the country’s Black and Indigenous population, a campaign historians call Blanqueamiento, or “whitening."

The tension over race with neighbouring Brazil predates the modern national team: in 1920, an Argentine newspaper published a cartoon of monkeys in Brazilian jerseys under the headline “Monkeys in Buenos Aires," and half the Brazilian squad refused to play a scheduled match in protest.

The pattern resurfaced at the 2025 Copa Libertadores, when Argentine fans directed monkey gestures at Brazilian players, several of whom were arrested under Brazil’s anti-discrimination laws. After a previous chant controversy, Argentina’s president fired the country’s sports undersecretary for suggesting someone beyond one player should apologize on the national team’s behalf.

The 2022 Chant

Argentina beat France in the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar. In the celebrations that followed, a chant emerged mocking the African ancestry of French players, including captain Kylian Mbappé, with lyrics claiming they “play for France, but their parents are from Angola."

The chant resurfaced two years later, after Argentina’s 2024 Copa América win over Colombia, when midfielder Enzo Fernández posted a bus video of teammates singing it. Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana, who is Black and French, reposted the clip with the caption “Football in 2024: uninhibited racism," and the French federation announced it would file a legal complaint. FIFA opened an investigation.

The Prestianni Incident

In February, Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior accused Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni, an Argentine, of racially abusing him during a Champions League playoff in Lisbon. Prestianni confronted Vinícius and covered his mouth with his shirt before speaking; the referee activated FIFA’s anti-racism protocol, and the match was halted.

UEFA appointed an ethics inspector, provisionally suspended Prestianni for one match, and opened a discriminatory-behaviour investigation. Benfica denied the allegation and stood publicly behind its player, while Vinícius wrote afterward that “racists are, above all, cowards." Real Madrid won the tie 3-1 and advanced to the next round.

Recent Allegations In FIFA 2026

During Argentina’s July 3 win over Cabo Verde in Miami, streamer IShowSpeed was livestreaming in a Cape Verde jersey when a fan used a racial slur and told him to go home. Five days later, during Argentina’s comeback win over Egypt, another fan performed a monkey-like pantomime toward him.

FIFA said it “immediately initiated an investigation" and that it “strongly condemns racism, hate and discrimination in all forms." Separately, Egyptian and Cape Verdean supporters have accused Argentine fans of violent behaviour, including throwing beer, during both matches.

Argentina’s Ties With Israel

Argentina’s close alignment with Israel under President Javier Milei has also become part of the country’s online image. As pro-Palestinian sentiment spread globally following the Gaza war, critics increasingly lumped Argentina’s football team together with the country’s politics, turning World Cup discussions into wider debates about race, nationalism and foreign policy.

Argentina’s government has built one of the closest alliances with Israel of any country in Latin America. President Javier Milei has designated Hamas a terrorist organization, voted against Palestinian membership at the United Nations, and moved Argentina’s embassy to Jerusalem during his third state visit to Israel, in April 2026, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Argentina “the best partner we could have," alongside the United States.

Milei has also launched the “Isaac Accords," an initiative to expand Israeli cooperation across Latin America. Argentina is home to Latin America’s largest Jewish community, and Milei has deepened ties with DAIA, its main representative body. Milei has backed Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which South Africa has accused at the International Court of Justice of amounting to genocide, a charge Israel rejects.

That has also set Argentina apart from much of South America’s recent political mood. Several governments across the region have traditionally identified with left-leaning or anti-imperialist politics and have been among Israel’s strongest critics over the Gaza war. Under Milei, however, Argentina has charted a markedly different course.

Argentina faces Switzerland in the quarterfinals on July 11 in Kansas City. FIFA is yet to set a date for its ruling on the IShowSpeed investigation.

About the Author

Anoshito Banerjee

Anoshito Banerjee is a digital journalist at CNN-News18, specialising in Indian foreign policy, global diplomacy, South and West Asian geopolitics, and strategic affairs. His reporting spans hard news...Read More

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