Argentina play down England rivalry after players join fans in anti-English chant

The players sang with the fans but in their remarks they tried to speak of just another opponent, with Scaloni leading the way repeating: «It’s only a football match».

They jump. The fans sing and jump. Like a tide making a super-coordinated choreo, a thousand, ten thousand, fifty thousand jump. You don’t need to hear what they’re saying; it’s a chant that repeats in this World Cup, in the previous one, and the one before that and more. It’s heard and people jump in a Federal B match or after beating Switzerland. People sing and jump when the next opponent is Mauritania, Venezuela, or England. The players sing and jump. «The one who doesn’t jump is an Englishman» is a hit not only for football, and although the attempt to reposition the match for what it is—a match—will be a whole challenge to detach from what an Argentina–England means.

«Let’s make it clear from the start. It’s just a football match.» Lionel Scaloni didn’t wait a second to emphasize it. Inevitably the question about the opponent, whoever it might be, was going to come, but the coach anticipated any conjecture that could go beyond the sporting issue. And he made sure to repeat and insist on that idea.

Whether or not it was talked about in the locker room, the line to the outside was clear: reduce the emotional burden of the match. Even if the Qatar version of «Muchachos» is sung recalling «the kids from the Falklands», even if the new hit that the squad itself viralized talks about «For the Falklands…», the players were very measured. «There will be respect: my children were born there, I’ve lived there for 16 years, so all that’s left is to enjoy that match and try to win it like everyone else,» said Dibu.

Messi, who never played against England in his thousand years wearing the national team shirt, spoke of a «special match» but not because of extra non-sporting baggage. «They’re a powerhouse and, personally, it’s the first time I’m going to play against them. I’ve played against everyone, except England. So it will also be nice for that reason and I want to experience it for what it is, a World Cup semifinal against a great team and, as I was saying earlier, try to arrive in the best possible way to compete again.»

De Paul didn’t dodge the issue: «It’s a football match. It has a lot of significance, it brings back many memories because of what Diego did, because of what happened at that time. All the songs that are sung also have a lot to do with our Falklands heroes, to remember them. But we have to understand that it’s a football match and that the Falklands need to be discussed in other places. What happened was an atrocity, and we always remember it. But what we want is to win to reach the final.»

Cuti Romero and Julián Álvarez also took the line of agreeing it would be a tough match, praising the level of the English national team and not getting involved in any other matter.

There is no doubt that the contexts in which these confrontations occur have a significant impact. Because many players have been, are, and will be in the Premier League. Dibu Martínez (Aston Villa), Cuti Romero (Tottenham Hotspur), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United), Enzo Fernández (Chelsea), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool) and Marco Senesi (Bournemouth-Tottenham) are currently protagonists in the tournament. And many others who also had spells in the Premier. Julián Álvarez and Nico Otamendi (Man City), Montien (Nottingham Forest), Valentín Barco (Brighton) and Gio Lo Celso (Tottenham). Even Scaloni himself played at West Ham.

Will it be the same behind closed doors? There is an emotional burden tied to the Argentine player’s identity that won’t be easy to detach from. Beyond the coach’s message and intent, each one will know how far to add that focus or make it the main thing in the lead-up; it becomes an internal fuel considering what those motivations mean for the Argentine player. Or does anyone forget that, when many confessed that before facing the Netherlands in Qatar, many were backing Messi after Van Gaal’s comments underestimating his level.

For history, for sporting revenge, for the Falklands, for idiosyncrasy, for the skin. A World Cup semifinal carries an impressive load of its own. And this one, no matter how much effort they make, inevitably comes with that extra that makes the whole squad, a hug in the middle of the pitch, jump and sing with the people the most repeated hit of all.