No Black Players in Argentina's National Team, Apparently Not a Coincidence

Racist incidents involving supporters of the Argentina national football team have resurfaced during the 2026 World Cup, revealing that racism has long been rooted in the country’s policies and explains why there are no dark-skinned Argentine players. The first controversy erupted after Egypt’s coach, Hossam Hassan, made a gesture directed at Lionel Messi. The coach was furious after his team suffered a 3-2 defeat to Argentina due to a last-minute goal; Hassan then decried the ‘injustice’ that befell his team after their goal was disallowed by VAR. Hassan, along with several Egyptian players and staff, protested to French referee Francois Letexier on the touchline, which resulted in the referee issuing five yellow cards and one red card. However, Hassan escalated tensions by crossing his arms to form an ‘X’. This gesture, introduced in 2024, is FIFA’s official ‘Anti-Racism Gesture’, intended for players and coaches to signal racial abuse towards match officials. Hassan performed the gesture on several occasions—including when Messi tried to calm the situation—and was subsequently booked for his behaviour. A member of the Egyptian support staff even sprinted to the centre of the pitch to confront Messi but had to be restrained by his own teammates, including Hassan. FIFA also announced it had launched an investigation into an alleged incident of racial abuse involving YouTuber IShowSpeed and an Argentina supporter during Argentina’s 3-2 win over Cape Verde at the World Cup on Friday. IShowSpeed was live-streaming the match and was heard asking a fan wearing an Argentina shirt what had just been said to him. ‘FIFA strongly condemns racism, hatred and discrimination in all its forms,’ the world football governing body stated. ‘Such actions have no place in football, at the FIFA World Cup, or in society.’ A message sent to IShowSpeed and his public relations team for comment was not immediately returned. Writing in Aljazeera, Federico Pita, founder and president of Diáspora Africana de la Argentina (DIAFAR), said racism is deeply embedded in Argentina. He cited an event at the United Nations General Assembly in late March, where a landmark resolution was passed recognising the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the practice of slavery as among the gravest crimes against humanity. The resolution, spearheaded by Ghana and supported by the African Union and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), also called for concrete steps towards reparations for victims and their descendants. A total of 123 UN member states supported the resolution. Most former European colonial powers abstained, while only three countries rejected it: the United States, Israel, and Argentina under the government of President Javier Milei. Argentina’s stance in the vote is said to clearly demonstrate the current government’s political position. However, this decision is not merely a momentary policy. Argentina’s rejection of the idea of reparations is a continuation of a national tradition that, since its independence, has built its national identity upon a specific racial hierarchy. The dissenting vote at the UN reflects the power structures that have shaped Argentina’s history since the 19th century.