BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentine President Javier Milei has arrived in Paris, where he is expected to meet French President Emmanuel Macron after tensions escalated between their countries over the Argentine soccer team’s derogatory post-match chants about French players. A short clip captured during Argentina’s Copa America victory celebrations this month shows Argentine players chanting a song considered racist toward French players of African heritage. Censure from the soccer world snowballed into a political scandal when Vice President Victoria Villarruel defended Fernandez and the team, saying that Argentina would not tolerate criticism from a “colonialist” country. Mieli kicked off his trip to France Thursday, where he is expected to meet officials, businessmen and attend the 2024 Olympic opening ceremony.
Argentine President Javier Milei leaves the Cathedral after attending an event marking the nation's Independence Day in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)