Lloris says ‘euphoria is no excuse’ for Argentina’s racist song

Former France captain Hugo Lloris has criticized the controversial song sung by some Argentina players, describing it as an “attack on French people.” The song, which emerged after Argentina’s 1-0 win over Colombia in the Copa America final, included language that the French Football Federation identified as “racist and discriminatory.”

Argentina players singing a racist song targeting Mbappé and France. The lyrics:

“They play in France but they are from Angola. They are going to run well, they sleep with trans people. Mum is Nigerian, dad is Cameroonian, but the passport says French”
pic.twitter.com/6yUBJiMk1O

— Footy Humour (@FootyHumour) July 16, 2024

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Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez is facing potential sanctions from his club for posting a video of the celebration on social media. FIFA is also investigating the incident, which involved several members of the Argentina squad partaking in a chant that questioned the heritage of France’s black and mixed-race players.

Lloris, who holds the record for the most caps in French national team history and captained France to their 2018 World Cup victory, expressed his disappointment and shock at the behavior of the Argentina players.

“It doesn’t matter if you are in a moment of euphoria because you have won an important trophy,” Lloris stated. “It demands even more responsibility when you are a winner. You don’t want to hear or see this kind of thing in football. We all stand against discrimination and racism.”

Lloris hopes that the incident was a mistake and that those involved will learn from it: “I just think and hope it is a mistake. We all make mistakes sometimes and hopefully they will learn from it.”