Javier Milei accuses US Democrats of financing ‘anti-Argentina campaign’ at World Cup

Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, also claimed his political rivals may have ‘validated the woke movement that is now accusing us of being racist’. Photograph: Juan Ignacio Roncoroni/EPA View image in fullscreen Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, also claimed his political rivals may have ‘validated the woke movement that is now accusing us of being racist’. Photograph: Juan Ignacio Roncoroni/EPA Javier Milei accuses US Democrats of financing ‘anti-Argentina campaign’ at World Cup President also blames Brazil and Mexico and says online critics ‘do not want the ideas of freedom to succeed’ More than a week has passed since Ferran Torres scored the extra-time goal that gave Spain its second World Cup title, but – at least for Argentina’s president – the tournament is not over. Javier Milei has claimed that a coordinated “anti-Argentina campaign” was behind criticism of the country’s team, accusations of racism among its fans and conspiracy theories alleging that Lionel Messi’s side was secretly being favoured by Fifa. Now, the far-right president has taken the narrative a step further, alleging that the supposed campaign was financed by the US Democratic party and the governments of Brazil and Mexico. “It was the work of progressive minds who do not want the ideas of freedom to succeed,” claimed the self-styled libertarian in an interview with a local radio station on Sunday. View image in fullscreen Argentina fans burn a Spain shirt after their team lost in the World Cup final. Photograph: Matias Baglietto/Reuters He went on to claim that the “government of Brazil”, led by the leftwing president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, had allegedly provided the largest share of the funding. Analysts in Argentina said Milei had embraced the narrative as a distraction from his plummeting popularity , while others argued that the “real anti-Argentina campaign” was the one the president was waging “with his chainsaw ” austerity plan. Yet, the narrative has gained traction, even reaching people who do not support Milei. Pablo Torres, a 52-year-old bookseller from Buenos Aires who “never voted for him and never would”, said there had been a social media “bombardment” against the country that left him feeling “outrage” and “disgust”. He said some of the accusations of racism had come from “great colonial powers that enslaved people, trafficked enslaved people and decimated populations”, adding: “They denied the existence of the black population in Argentina, and ignored our idiosyncrasies and our history … We are a welcoming home for all nations.” View image in fullscreen The Argentina team, including Lionel Messi (right), had to make do with silver runners-up medals after the final. Photograph: Christopher Neundorf/EPA During the tournament, incidents involving racist behaviour by some Argentine supporters drew widespread attention. Hours before the final, the US actor Samuel L Jackson posted an Instagram story that said: “Dear black people, please do not chee