«Chiqui» Tapia hits back: «Call players traitors, no way back» | OneFootball

One month after the final played by the Argentina National Team in the World Cup, the president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia, used his Instagram stories to deliver a fierce statement. Through a lengthy text, the official targeted those who spread rumors about the team’s performance and demanded public apologies.

View this post on InstagramA post shared by Claudio Chiqui Tapia (@chiquitapia)

“A miserable campaign”: the origin of the anger

Tapia began by recalling the time that had passed since the decisive match and denounced efforts to harm the squad. “One month has passed. One month since that final. One month of lies, manipulation, and a miserable campaign to push the idea that this team had thrown the match,” fired the head of the AFA.

The president of the governing body expressed his outrage at the lack of self-criticism from those he was pointing at. “The most striking thing is that, after a month, not one of them has apologized. Not one came out and said: ‘We were wrong.’ Not one had the honesty, the dignity, or simply the guts to take responsibility,” he said.

Criticism over the lack of evidence and the silence afterward

In another part of his post, Tapia contrasted the players’ attitude with that of their critics, accusing them of sowing hatred and division while the team was competing. “They fed a lie and presented it as the truth. Now you explain yourselves,” he demanded.

The official stressed the seriousness of the accusations made during this period. “There’s no coming back from calling the national team players traitors. There’s no coming back from casting suspicion on those who defended this jersey. There’s no coming back from accusing them of having thrown the match. And there’s even less coming back from doing it without a single piece of evidence and then, when the lie is exposed, choosing silence,” he emphasized categorically.

A challenge to personal values

Toward the end of his statement, the AFA president shifted the discussion to the family and moral sphere of those involved, asking them how they look their children in the eye after lying and pointing fingers at the Argentine delegation.

To close, he reaffirmed his absolute support for the group that represented the country at the World Cup. “Values are not negotiable. A month has passed and we still haven’t heard an apology. Meanwhile, the players, the coaching staff, and all the staff members continue with their heads held high. Those who left their souls out there have nothing to explain. Those who lied do,”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.