France declares Mendoza Vice Governor Hebe Casado persona non grata over racist football remarks

The French embassy in Buenos Aires declared Mendoza vice‑governor Hebe Casado persona non grata after she posted on X following the World Cup match, describing the French national team as “an African team with bad manners” and saying “Muy bien Paraguay. El equipo africano flojo de modales. No lo aguanto a Mbappé”. Casado defended the comment as sarcastic folklore and refused to apologize. French ambassador Romain Nadal said racism is a crime, not an opinion, and that there is no place for it in Franco‑Argentine cooperation. Governor Alfredo Cornejo responded with a formal letter to the ambassador, insisting that Casado’s remarks were personal and did not reflect Mendoza’s stance or its historic commercial ties with France, especially in the wine sector. The diplomatic row has raised concerns about possible repercussions for French investors in the province and highlighted lingering tensions from previous World Cup‑related incidents.