Shannon Sharpe reacted this Tuesday to several alleged instances of racist abuse during the FIFA 2026 World Cup, several of them being directed towards Argentina fans. On Tuesday, Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan jeered back at Argentina fans following his country’s elimination in a stunning and controversial 3-2 comeback win by the Albiceleste in the Round of 16.
Some analysts and a considerable section of the fans believe FIFA tends to hand out beneficial refereeing decisions to Messi’s Argentina. This is partly what Hassan expressed clearly to fans, referees, and even the Dallas police department during and after the encounter. According to some reports, some of Argentina’s fans replied with racist insults.
Reacting to this and other alleged instances of racist abuse, Sharpe said on Tuesday:
“I don’t know why people are surprised at Argentina. Do y’all not know history? Where did you all think the nazis and the fascists went when nazism fell in Germany?,”
He then said that it was the public policy of Argentina, under Juan Domingo Peron, to incentivise European immigration to Argentina, including that of several former high-ranking German WW2 military officers.
Sharpe was mainly reacting to another instance of racist abuse during this World Cup, which is under investigation by FIFA: an alleged incident of racist abuse against American streamer IShowSpeed.
Deep into the second half, Egypt seemed to have the game well in hand, with a 2-0 lead in the 67th minute. The lead could’ve been even greater, had a goal by Mostafa Ziko in the 58th minute not been overturned due to a controversial foul in the early buildup of the play. Argentina overturned the game with a goal by Enzo Fernández in the 90+3, following goals in the 79th and 83rd minutes by Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi.
Argentina, unlike other South American countries, has a predominantly white population, largely due to a massive influx of Europeans in the first half of the 20th century, most of whom were of Italian origin. This has led a portion of Argentinian society to claim they’re an exiled European enclave in the Americas, which has no cultural connection to the rest of what’s called Latin America.
What happened to IShowSpeed during the Argentina vs. Cape Verde 2026 World Cup match?
FIFA is currently investigating a possible instance of racism against American streamer ISpeed. The streamer was livestreaming during the Round of 32 game between Argentina and Cape Verde, and he could be heard asking a person in an Argentinian jersey what he said to him, which is allegedly an incident of racist abuse.
“FIFA strongly condemns racism, hate and discrimination in all forms,” the football governing body said in a statement. “These actions have no place in football, at the FIFA World Cup, or anywhere in society. Messages sent to IShowSpeed and publicists seeking comment were not immediately returned.
“FIFA was made aware of an incident involving a supporter and IShowSpeed at Miami Stadium during the Argentina vs Cape Verde match on July 3 2026 and immediately initiated an investigation.”
This was not the only allegation of racism this World Cup, with Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla hurling racist insults via social media and during press conferences, towards French star Kylian Mbappe, following his team’s victory over Paraguay. Among her taunts, she doubted his ability to read and called him a “colonized Cameroonian” who was trying to prove that he was French.
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