
The Argentinian undersecretary for sport, Julio Garro, has left his position after he suggested Lionel Messi should apologise for racist chants sung by the national team.
Having won the Copa America final, Argentina and Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez posted a video on Instagram which shows the team singing discriminatory chants.
The lyrics are directed towards players of African descent in the French French national team.
The French Football Federation has since condemned the language as 'racist and discriminatory'.
It is not known whether captain Messi was among those to have been singing the chant.
However, Argentina's former sports sub-secretary Garro told Argentinian radio Urbano Play he believed an apology was the duty of the captain.
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"I think the captain of the national team and AFA (Argentina Football Association) president (Claudio Tapia) should come out and apologise for this case," he said.
"It is fitting. It leaves us in a bad light with so much glory."
But the office of the country's president Javier Milei have since issued a statement on X, annoncing Garro's sacking.
The statement read: "The President's Office reports that no government can tell the Argentina National Team, World Champions and Two-time American Champion, or any other citizen what to comment, what to think or what to do to. For that reason, Julio Garro is no longer Undersecretary of Sports of the Nation."
Garro responded on X, thanking the President for allowing him to be part of his team and adding the following.
He wrote: "I am very sorry if my comment offended anyone, that was never my intention, and that is why I made my resignation available, although I will always be on the other side of discrimination in all its forms."
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A FIFA investigation has been launched into the incident whilst Chelsea are also investigating their player, Fernandez for his behaviour.
Fernandez has since issued an apology saying there was 'absolutely no excuse' for the chants.
But the video has already been condemned by a number of his Chelsea teammates including Wesley Fofana.