Former Chelsea and West Ham forward, Carlton Cole, has harshly criticized Lionel Messi, labeling the former Barcelona star as selfish for his silence after national teammate Enzo Fernandez and several other Argentina players sang racist chants directed at the French national team.
The incident occurred after Argentina’s 1-0 Copa America victory over Colombia on July 14. During the post-match celebrations on the team bus, Fernandez live-streamed on Instagram as several Argentina players chanted racist comments about the French team. The chants translated by talkSPORT included, “They play for France, but their parents are from Angola. Their mother is from Cameroon, while their father is from Nigeria. But their passport says French.”
While Fernandez has since apologized for his involvement in the incident, Messi has remained silent, a fact that has drawn ire from Cole. Speaking on talkSPORT, Cole expressed his disappointment in Messi’s lack of response.
“Argentina has someone renowned as probably the best footballer to ever grace the beautiful game – Lionel Messi,” Cole remarked. “We need Messi to come out and say something. This issue is bigger than Enzo. Messi is the main guy there. He’s the captain. He needs to speak up about this behavior.”
Cole continued, “Otherwise, it’s just like he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care how I feel, he doesn’t care how some of his black teammates he’s had in the past feel. That shows me he’s selfish. He needs to come out and say something. I condemn him. Simple. I condemn Messi.”
Cole’s comments have sparked a broader discussion on the responsibilities of football’s biggest stars in addressing social issues, especially those involving racism. As one of the most influential figures in the sport, Messi’s silence on the matter has been seen by some as a missed opportunity to take a stand against racism and set an example for both teammates and fans worldwide.
