Buenos Aires Herald 
Vice President Victoria Villarruel’s recent comments on racism and colonialism were “unfortunate,” Presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni said Friday in his usual daily press conference, clarifying that they were not the government’s position.
Villarruel had made comments on X, weighing in on a debate over racism and colonialism in Argentina after a viral video showed the men’s national football team singing a racist chant.
In her post, she claimed that Argentina “never had colonies or second-class citizens” and “never imposed its way of life on anyone” and that the government wouldn’t tolerate that being done to Argentina, in reference to the French Football Federation’s legal complaint in connection to the chant issued during the Copa América win celebration.
In his Friday presentation, Adorni also confirmed that Presidential Secretary Karina Milei had visited the French Ambassador in Argentina and apologized for the remarks, telling him that the VP’s words were her “personal opinion.”
“The government’s position is to not confuse passion for sports with diplomatic issues,” Adorni pointed out. “Relationships with France are completely intact.”
The diplomatic brush came at a particularly uncomfortable moment for the government, given that President Javier Milei is set to travel to Paris next week to attend the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics. During his three-day stay, he is expected to meet with President Emmanuel Macron for their first bilateral encounter. The two first met at the G7 summit in Italy last June.
Distance between Milei and Villarruel?
Although the spokesperson denied that there are major disagreements between Milei and Villarruel, this is not the first evidence indicating that there might be some cracks in the relationship between the president and his VP.
The most recent episode was the signing of the “May Pact” in Tucumán on July 8, where Villaruel was conspicuously absent despite Milei’s touting of the event as a “refoundational act” and the presence of 18 provincial leaders. The explanation was that she had the flu, but 12 hours later, Villarruel was seen next to Milei at the military parade celebrating Argentina Independence Day.
Despite the government’s apologies to France, however, as of press time, the post continues to be pinned at the top of Villarruel’s X account.
An escalating debate on racism
On Tuesday, a clip went viral of Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernández’s live stream of the team’s bus celebrations following their 2024 Copa América win. Fernández and other players can be heard singing a chant that mocks French players for their African heritage. Fernández later apologized via Instagram, admitting there’s “no excuse for these words” and that he stands “against discrimination in all forms.”
The episode led to a furious debate on social and traditional media, with multiple sides weighing in on whether Argentina was racist or not and if people from other countries had a right to criticize the country.
Among those commenting on the issue was Sports Undersecretariat Julio Garro, who said on Wednesday that Albiceleste captain Lionel Messi should “offer the appropriate apologies” as the incident “leaves Argentina looking bad as a country.”
On that very same day, Milei fired Garro, saying that “no government can tell the World Cup and two-time Copa América winning national team or any other citizen what to say, think, or do.”
“For this reason, Julio Garro is no longer the Sports Undersecretariat,” said the announcement on the President’s Office X account confirming the dismissal.
