Journalists under the umbrella of International Sports Press Association (AIPS) accused Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates of insulting reporters with a song while celebrating their World Cup triumph over France in Qatar last month.
International Sports Press Association (AIPS) President Gianni Merlo said Argentina’s celebrations insulted journalism as a profession and asked for an apology, following their victory over France in the final of the FIFA World Cup last month.
“The Argentina team in the mixed zone sang a song that was disrespectful to us. They insulted our profession,” Merlo said in an end-of-year statement.
Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates chanted an offensive song in front of the media after beating France 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 tie at the Lusail Stadium in Doha.
“Support the national team, support them to the death because I love Argentina, because it’s an emotion I carry in my heart,” the players sang, after moving their celebrations from the dressing room to the mixed zone, which is an area of the stadium where journalists wait to interview players.
“And I don’t care what those f*****g journalists say!” the song continued, according to reports.
Argentina’s players were first heard chanting this song in front of the national press after winning a penalty shootout against Colombia in last summer’s Copa America.
Over the years, the national team has had to deal with the media’s high expectations, with Messi frequently being unfairly compared to Diego Maradona, who helped Argentina win the World Cup in 1986.
The song has since become something of a badge of honor for Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni team, who have continued to sing it after victories.
The team also faced heavy criticism from the press after losing their opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup 2-1 to Saudi Arabia, before recovering to lift the trophy for the first time since 1986.
Meanwhile, President Merlo added that Messi and his teammates should apologise for the song, which he believes insulted journalists.
“I know that they were full of joy, but even in the joy they have to be careful not to insult other people because we are there to work with them for a better sport in the future.
“And I hope that they will apologise for their position because I believe that champions and journalists must work together to defend the principles of sports, the freedom of sports, the freedom of discussion, the freedom of expression, because this is the real point,” he added.
AIPS, which was founded in 1924, represents sports journalists in more than 160 countries.
Merlo is the latest to call attention to Argentina’s celebrations, which many believe went too far.
Argentina’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez took aim at Kylian Mbappe multiple times after his team beat France.
At first, the 30-year-old called for “a moment’s silence for Mbappé who died,”during dressing room celebrations after the game concluded at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, before doing the same thing upon the team’s return to Argentina during a victory parade.
Martínez was also spotted holding a doll with Mbappé’s face during the trophy parade in Buenos Aires, while a group of supporters set fire to a cardboard decorated like a coffin with a photo of the Paris Saint-Germain star on.
As a result, French Football Federation President Nol Le Grat later filed a complaint with the Argentine equivalent, Claudio Tapia, over the Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez’s celebrations.
When Mbappe was asked his thoughts on Martinez’s behaviour during World Cup celebrations last week, he gave a very blunt response.
“The celebrations are not my problem,” the French star told journalists, speaking 10 days after winning the Golden Boot at the World Cup where he scored a hat-trick in the final against Argentina.
“I will not waste energy on something so trivial. The most important thing for me is to give the best of myself for my club. We await Lionel Messi’s return to score goals and to win more games,” he added.
