Why some Black Americans wanted Argentina to lose

For many viewers, a World Cup final is about football alone. This one, however, was framed by something broader for a number of Black Americans: not a simple choice between Spain and Argentina, but a reaction to what Argentina had come to symbolize through racism allegations, politics and public silence.

More than a football decision

The central argument is not that Spain represented a morally uncomplicated alternative. Spain’s history, including its colonial legacy, is part of the discussion and cannot be ignored. But for many Black Americans, the final was not primarily about celebrating Spain. It was about rejecting Argentina.

That feeling, as outlined in the source material, grew from a series of incidents and associations that extended beyond the pitch. The point was not to deny Argentina’s football stature or tradition, but to argue that sporting excellence does not exist in a vacuum when repeated controversies shape how a team and its supporters are perceived.

Racism, politics and public perception

The source points to several reasons why support shifted against Argentina. These include racist incidents involving supporters, the circulation of videos showing fans in Argentina gear directing racial abuse at Black people, and criticism after members of Argentina’s national team sang a racist chant targeting France’s Black players following the Copa América.

It also references the abuse directed at American streamer IShowSpeed by fans wearing Argentina colours, as well as wider social media attention around a burger business in Llavallol whose official name uses a racial slur. In this reading, such episodes contributed to a broader sense that the issue was not isolated, but part of a pattern that many found impossible to separate from the team’s image.

Politics also featured heavily in that perception. The source links Argentina president Javier Milei to positions seen as closely aligned with Donald Trump and notes his support for Israel amid the war in Gaza. It further highlights a recent podcast moment in which Benjamin Netanyahu, when asked whether he was supporting Messi, replied: “No, before Messi, Milei. He’s a superstar.” In the context of the piece, those associations deepened the discomfort felt by some Black American observers.

The Messi question

Lionel Messi remains central to any conversation about Argentina. His standing in football is beyond dispute, and the source acknowledges that his achievements do not need embellishment. Whether he is considered the greatest ever or simply among the greatest, his place in the sport is secure.

But the argument here is that brilliance as an athlete is not the same as moral leadership. The piece draws a distinction between sporting greatness and the willingness to speak publicly on issues of injustice. It invokes figures such as Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Craig Hodges, John Carlos and Tommie Smith as examples of athletes whose legacies were shaped not only by performance, but by conviction.

Against that standard, the criticism of Messi is clear. According to the source, he did not publicly condemn racist incidents involving sections of Argentina’s fanbase during the World Cup. Nor, it says, did he publicly address the racist chant that drew global criticism after the Copa América, or speak out after videos of Argentina supporters racially abusing Black people circulated online.

When silence becomes part of the story

The broader point is that fans do not always watch sport as a sealed-off contest. They also judge what teams, players and institutions appear willing to tolerate. In that environment, silence can become meaningful in its own right.

That is why, for many Black Americans, this was never a straightforward football choice. It was not a wholehearted embrace of Spain, nor an attempt to erase that country’s own history. It was a decision shaped by the belief that Argentina’s recent associations with racism, political symbolism and a lack of public accountability had become too significant to ignore.