Argentine President Javier Milei and French President Emmanuel Macron will hold an emergency meeting during the ongoing Paris Olympics. This meeting comes after a controversial incident involving Argentine soccer star Enzo Fernandez, who shared a video showing him and his teammates celebrating their Copa America victory in Miami. The video included a song with racist and transphobic slurs directed at French players of African heritage.

The French soccer federation responded by filing a legal complaint over the “unacceptable racist and discriminatory remarks.” Chelsea, Fernandez’s English club, has also initiated an internal disciplinary process against him.

The situation has further strained relations between the two countries. Argentine newspaper Clarín reported that Argentina is now seen as an enemy in France, evidenced by the loud boos during the Argentine national anthem in Paris.

Argentina’s conservative Vice President, Victoria Villarruel, defended Fernandez and the national team, criticizing France for hypocrisy. She stated that Argentina has never been a colonialist country and insisted that Argentina is not racist. Villarruel condemned the criticism from France as fake indignation.

Adding to the controversy, President Milei recently removed the undersecretary of sport, Julio Garro, from his position after Garro requested that team captain Lionel Messi apologize for the chants. Milei’s office issued a statement saying that the government should not dictate what the national team says or does.

The Argentine presidency has confirmed that Milei will meet with Macron and other French officials at the Elysee Palace on Friday. Milei is also expected to attend the 2024 Olympic opening ceremony. This meeting will be crucial in addressing the escalating tensions between the two nations following the incident.