After the gold medal in the World Cup, the Argentine national team made fun of the journalists in the mixed zone.
Now the president of the International Association of Sports Journalists (AIPS) Gianni Merlo is furious.
– If we don’t defend our profession and our dignity, it’s over. It’s no joke, he told Sportbladet.
After the Qatar World Cup final, various scenes unfolded in the mixed area.
The Argentine players sang a sarcastic hymn about journalists.
“I don’t care what those damned journalists, born of bitches, say…”they exclaimed.
Which angers Italian Gianni Merlo, president of the International Association of Sports Journalists (AIPS).
– I’ve been working with this for over 40 years and I’ve never been a part of something like this before, he tells Sportbladet.
We’ll end up in the woods.
At the front of the line was Lionel Messi, and members of the union also joined in on the song.
– Unacceptable because it is a way of trying to downplay our work. They want to talk about it the way it’s usually done on social media. We can’t accept someone telling us we’re whores when we’re working, so excuse our choice of words. If we accept it now, someone else will do the same and then it will be normalized. We’ll end up in the woods, it’s impossible, he says and continues:
– If we don’t defend our profession and our dignity, it’s over. It’s no joke. They may be joking, but it is by no means a joke.
Targeting the Argentine media: “They knew”
According to Argentine media, the song was directed at the country’s journalists because of the criticism the national team has received over the years.
– Because it is an old song, it means that they remembered it for a reason. They knew exactly. From my point of view, this is unacceptable. They can sing a lot of songs, so why would they choose this one. Some say it wasn’t intentional, but it just happened there, right? This means that they were ready.
He will contact the union – he demands an apology
After the incident, Merlo wrote an official statement demanding an apology. Now he will contact both FIFA and the Argentine Football Association.
FIFA’s press department is not happy at all. You can only imagine. It’s not good for them either. Then we will see what the Argentine Federation responds to when we ask the players to respect our work, as we also work together. Journalists deserve respect.
– I hope the players understand that they made a mistake. You can make mistakes. It would have been better if that hadn’t happened, but at least they could admit they were wrong. Some are afraid to face those who beat the toilet. He concludes, “I’m sorry, but I don’t care.”