Racism is wrong and it must be removed from our game

Argentine football has a problem. Not the everyday gripes we air out – Claudio ‘Chiqui’ Tapia, stupid league formats, referees favouring certain clubs, and so on and so forth – but one which keeps rearing its ugly head, both from players and fans of the game. And while the ostrich approach has served its purpose so far, at some point the sport will have to stand up and take action against a phenomenon which is bringing it into disrepute.

On Tuesday Benfica's young star Gianluca Prestianni found himself in the eye of the storm. Following his club's heated Champions League clash against Real Madrid, the 20-year-old had an on-pitch run-in with Madrid ace Vinícius Júnior. Prestianni kept his mouth covered throughout the exchange, but Vinícius clearly heard something he found offensive, claiming to the match referee that the ex-Vélez forward had called him a “monkey.” 

On the Brazilian's Instagram following the game, won 1-0 by Madrid, he railed against “racists [who] are above all, cowards,” and who he feels “have on their side the protection of others who, theoretically, have the obligation to punish.

We should point out at this point that Prestianni strenuously denies the allegations laid against him. With no visual or audio evidence of the purported slur, it is up to UEFA to get to the bottom of what was a heated, ugly moment between two professionals in Lisbon. What it points to, however, if the complaint is upheld, is an overly familiar tendency to use offensive language that has no place in football or decent society.

It is not the first time the nation has found itself in the dock. Back in 2024, Enzo Fernández and several Argentina players filmed themselves singing a hideously offensive chant against Kylian Mbappé and other French footballers with African parentage – curiously enough, Mbappé was one of the Madrid players who assured he heard Prestianni call Vinícius a monkey “five times.” He said that the Benfica youngster “doesn't deserve to play in the Champions League again.”

Each week on Argentina’s terraces, it is common to see and hear monkey gestures directed toward players when Brazilian teams come to town. The likes of Boca Juniors, Talleres, Estudiantes de la Plata and Racing Club have all been fined and warned for such behaviour in recent years. Outside the game, an Argentine lawyer was recently detained while on holiday in Río de Janeiro for making such a gesture last month and could yet face prison time if convicted on racism charges.

Just why this keeps happening is a contentious topic. Argentines are no more or less racist than any other nationality, but the local bluntness of speech, particularly when describing physical characteristics – ‘negro’ or ‘chino’ are common nicknames just like ‘fatty,’ ‘baldy,’ ‘skinny’ or ‘big nose’ – often translates extremely poorly outside of the country or in virtual spaces. Along similar lines, there is a tendency to accept an 'anything goes’ attitude when football rivalries are being disputed, with racism just another weapon in the bid to get one over on opposing fans.

Lastly, it is impossible not to think that the descent of social media pages like Twitter/X in the last few years, up to and including the open tolerance of racist messaging and even Nazi imagery, has not seeped over into individual consciousness, encouraging offensive acts that would have been outrageous not too long ago.

Such attitudes can be tackled, if the will is there. When this writer started attending football games it was commonplace to hear xenophobic songs aimed at Bolivian and Paraguayan fans during Boca games. After a concerted, painstaking effort from the authorities, including warnings that games would be stopped or even abandoned if such chants were heard, they were gradually, if not wholly eradicated, then certainly diminished. 

It is not folklore, not banter and not just a part of the game, the culture: racism is unacceptable in any guise on or off the pitch, and that is the message that must be transmitted, backed up with the threat of real punishment for transgressors, if we are to remove it from our game.