In defence of Argentine culture and football

The information ecosystem descended into a rampage of anti-Argentine sentiment building up to a crescendo as the World Cup progressed. It reached a fever pitch after the final, after Lionel Messi’s side lost to Spain, as people across the globe gathered to hate on the team and the country that failed to clinch a coveted fourth star as world champions. What was curious about the way the narrative was constructed was how prevalent it became on social media, where all sorts of famous and/or respected people and news outlets focussed on Argentina as a punching-ball for a slew of accusations, including racism, cheating, and violence. Messi – a global superstar who is known to be respectful, humble and uncontroversial – become the target of systematic disinformation campaigns feeding off certain pre-existing polarisations that went from football disputes (Barcelona and Real Madrid, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo) to the geopolitical (the Argentine captain and team as representatives of Israel, opposed to Palestine and the broader Arab world). Argentina-hate operated on two interrelated vectors, football and culture, ultimately painting a very negative picture of the team and the country that is not only exaggerated but also totally opposite to the narrative from the previous World Cup, in which Messi and Argentina were loved and admired.

The World Cup is the largest sporting event in the world, generating global audiences. The fact that it was hosted mainly in the United States – which shared the privilege with Mexico and Canada – further propelled attention by leveraging the deepest media market in the world by far. The potential economic and sporting opportunities of getting the world’s largest economy tuned into the beautiful game had been an obsession for FIFA for decades.

Gianni Infantino’s tenure in charge of football’s governing body has been marked by an aggressive business expansion, the cherry on top of which is a tacit strategic partnership with US President Donald Trump. The ramifications of Trump’s involvement are massive and undoubtedly politicise an event that has always sought to presume sporting purity, unsuccessfully.

In that context, Argentina arrived as the defending champion and Messi facing his last dance. The national team’s victory over France in the final in Qatar in 2022 and the heroic run that preceded it remained fresh in football fans’ minds. But Argentina weren’t favourites this time around, they were among the teams to beat but were behind England, Spain and France in most projections. At the same time, the country has gained renewed international notoriety thanks to the emergence of President Javier Milei, the La Libertad Avanza leader who became a global beacon of the new-right, anti-woke movement. Milei’s total adhesion to the foreign policy of the United States and Israel together with his fiery speeches at the World Economic Forum in Davos denouncing socialism and anything that smelled of progressive or woke brought global attention and also separated the waters. Argentina, as a country, had been positioned in the global game of culture wars in a very specific spot.

There was some initial fascination about Argentina and Messi’s style of play that trickled down into positive cultural generalisations. There was also a massive fandom which had made its way to the United States, lining the streets where Argentina played, overjoyed and generally creating a festive ambience. Quickly, though, the narrative turned, particularly after the round-of-16 knockout match against Egypt, during which Argentina came back from a two-goal deficit amid controversy on the pitch. After a tough win, deep into extra time, against Cape Verde in the last round, coach Lionel Scaloni’s men did it again, sparking the ire of Egypt’s supporters and broader groups of detractors. On social media, disinformation quickly spread indicating FIFA had favoured Argentina in order to give the World Cup to Messi. Then the idea that the Egyptian team had been cheated because of its support for Palestine and their broader representation of the Arab world took off, immediately generating the associated narrative that Argentina’s political ties with Israel had something to do with it.

As the tournament continued and the stakes went higher, Argentina was drawn to face arch-rivals England in the semi-finals. A rematch of the epic 1986 quarter-final that elevated Diego Maradona to legend status, in which Argentina’s number 10 scored an illegal goal with his hand and, minutes later, what many considered the best goal in World Cup history after dribbling past five English players and the keeper. That clash was also the first match-up since the South Atlantic War over the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands and many Argentines took it as some sort of revenge, on another level of course. From an English football perspective, Argentines have always been cheats who stretch the boundaries of the rulebook to their advantage. That narrative added a layer to the tensions that had already been growing at least since the Egypt match, together with the overall anti-Argentina rhetoric coming from the British side. After the Albiceleste once again came back in the last minutes to take the match against England, fans threw a banner onto the pitch that was picked up by the players and displayed in the middle of the field. It carried the inscription: “The Malvinas are Argentine,” referring to the country’s longstanding sovereignty dispute with the United Kingdom over the territory. Flags and references to the islands had been banned ahead of the match in a position agreed upon with Javier Milei’s administration. The flag went instantly viral, generating reactions both for and against, ultimately leading to US authorities saying the Argentine team had exercised its freedom of expression.

By the time the final came and went, Argentina’s team had been further characterised as arrogant, chaotic and passionate in comparison with Spain’s organised, methodical and tactical elegance. A scuffle involving midfielder Leandro Paredes, who attacked multiple Spanish players after the end of the match, was used to generalise Argentine football as excessively aggressive and violent. A supposed snub during the award ceremony was seen as a grave insult, even though the Argentine players were simply saluting their fans who bade their final farewell to Messi, with the legendary captain in tears. The Internet had become a firestorm of anti-Argentina rhetoric and the concept of the country as racist completely took hold. Actor Samuel L. Jackson, reacting to bigoted abuse directed at black influencer IShowSpeed – who is a professed Ronaldo fan and an outspoken Messi and Argentina antagonist – accused the nation of being “the most racist in the world.”

There are multiple explanations as to how this type of narrative can quickly take hold and lead to such extreme and passionate accusations, particularly against a country and a culture as a whole. And even unfairly so against a team and a player with the characteristics of Messi. Within the context of the football world, it is natural for fans to take strong positions in favour and against classic rivals. The rules of football banter and folklore stretch well beyond what’s politically correct, which is part of what makes the sport great.

The style of the Argentine footballer is equally admired and hated throughout Europe. Managers from Pep Guardiola (with major runs in Spanish giant FC Barcelona and Premier League heavyweight Manchester City) to English national team boss Thomas Tuchel (who is German) have recently highlighted the value of Argentine players’ competitive mentality. The intensity that comes with that competitiveness, together with a constant search for advantage that many times is at the precipice of the rulebook, has many times given Argentina and its players an edge that is admired and sought-after by the world’s most important clubs. The fact that Maradona and Messi, two of the best footballers ever to have played the sport, come from the same country is no coincidence.

The algorithmic nature of the information ecosystem in the 21st century also plays its role. The weaponisation of social media is a well-studied phenomenon and the leveraging of major events to position specific narratives is commonplace. The World Cup is no stranger to misinformation campaigns and Argentina and Messi weren’t the only ones targeted. Whether there were malicious actors with geopolitical or economic incentives, or organic users seeking to maximise their digital clout, makes no difference.

The techniques of information warfare were on full display at an event that didn’t occur in a vacuum but in a deeply polarised world in conflict. The conflict between Israel and Palestine, the culture wars of the Trump and Milei right against “wokeism” and the left, racial and migratory disputes in the United States and Europe – all of these contributed by hijacking the World Cup to push their narratives. While racism exists in Argentina, like in every country in the world, it is difficult to justify the claim that it is one of the most racist countries in the world. The fact that there are no black players in the squad is a weak argument, especially for a country that has been historically a recipient of immigration where racial segregation and conflict is essentially non-existent, particularly in the way that it has occurred in many of the countries from which the accusations are being made. This is not to say that Argentina is perfect, there are many forms of racism present both from a historical perspective and even within the footballing world more recently, but to jump from there to racism as a defining feature of the nation and culture is extreme.

Argentina is a proud and flawed nation. Like most others. There are many examples of great Argentine contributions well beyond football, from science and medicine to culture and beyond. Argentina is a middle-income country from the Southern Hemisphere which has generally punched above its weight on the global stage, with serious socio-political issues. Yet it is also a culture of resilience, passion and excellence, with a lifelong history as a melting-pot of ethnicities and immigration and a bit of an obsession with football. Which is why it is painful to see so much hate from such a widespread group of people. Even more so when it targets Messi, who clocked out of his sixth world cup just inches from the objective of bringing back the fourth star. Messi can never be the villain.