Canada Soccer said it was “deeply disturbed” by racist abuse directed at one of its players following the Copa America’s opening match against Argentina on Thursday.
Canada did not mention the player’s name, but defender Moise Pompito received racist comments on his Instagram page after his team lost 2-0. The 24-year-old caught attention after a tackle on Argentina captain Lionel Messi, as the 36-year-old injured his ankle.
Messi received treatment after the challenge but was given medical clearance to continue, and helped Argentina score the second goal of the match in the 88th minute.
Canada condemned the racist abuse in a statement that said: “Canadian Soccer is aware of and deeply disturbed by the racist comments posted online directed at a player on the men’s national team after tonight’s game. “We are in contact with CONCACAF and CONMEBOL regarding this matter.”
Pompeo later responded to the abuse on Instagram, posting: “Beautiful Canada. There is no room for this BS.
Bombeto and Messi during the match (Omar Vega/Getty Images)
A spokesperson for Meta, which owns Instagram, said: “We do not tolerate racist abuse on Instagram, and we have removed offensive comments directed at Moise Pompito.”
The CONMEBOL statement said: “We condemn, everywhere and on every occasion, the intolerant positions hidden behind accounts on social media platforms under any form of expression.
He added: “The CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 is the largest and most challenging continental tournament in our history, and therefore, today more than ever, we will raise our flag against any kind of racist expression.”
The CONCACAF statement added: “We are now working with the Confederation and with our colleagues in CONMEBOL and FIFA to seek ways to investigate accounts that posted racist material.”
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Meanwhile, French trio Aurelien Chouamini, Kingsley Coman and Randall Kolo-Mwani were subjected to racist abuse on their social media accounts in the wake of their national team’s World Cup final defeat to Argentina in 2022.
There were also reports of racist chants in the streets of Buenos Aries by Argentine fans, as they celebrated their World Cup win in 2022, and effigies of France captain Kylian Mbappe also appeared on social media, with one group of fans carrying an inflatable doll bearing Mbappe’s logo. Name tag of rope; Another set fire to a mock coffin lid decorated with the attacker’s face.
The match, which was held on Thursday evening at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, saw goals scored by Julian Alvarez of Manchester City and Lautaro Martinez of Inter Milan, resulting in a 2-0 victory and a winning start for the Argentine defense in the Copa America.
Lionel Scaloni’s team faces Chile in its next group match on Tuesday, while Canada plays Peru earlier that day.
(Top photo: Omar Vega/Getty Images)
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