Kiki Ramos – the first Haiti-born player to play for Argentina – has dismissed concerns about racism or discrimination in the country after debuting for the Under-17 team in a 2-1 victory over Ecuador this week.
Ramos was adopted by an Argentine family after a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti in January 2010, claiming over 100,000 casualties. As per Reddit, the Velez-Sarsfield winger is the first Black player in four decades to wear the Albiceleste colours.
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Amid reports of racisim and criticism about the team on social media, Ramos said that he never felt discriminated as he called it a dream to wear the Albicelester colours (as per Albiceleste Talk):
“Did I feel any racism or discrimination in Argentina? Ever since I came to Argentina, I’ve never felt discriminated against.”
“Other than the occasional fights between youth players during matches, everything has always been fine off the pitch. I never felt discriminated against, and I never felt different from anyone else. That’s why I feel like people who say Argentina is racist are just saying it for the sake of it.”
He concluded:
“I think we’re just going through a period where Argentina is being heavily criticised, you know? But Argentina is a beautiful country. For me, it’s a dream to represent Argentina and a huge honour to wear this beautiful shirt. I’ve dreamed of it since I was a little kid, and I hope I can live up to it every time I’m called up.”
Ramos, 17, is said to be attracting attention from European clubs.
FIFA opens disciplinary cases against Argentina Football Association after 2026 FIFA World Cup
FIFA has opened seven disciplinary cases against the Argentina Football Association after the Albiceleste’s 1-0 extra time loss to Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey on July 19.
Substitute Ferran Torres scored the game’s only goal in the 106th minute, with the Albiceleste – reduced to 10 men just before extra time following Enzo Fernandez’s dismissal – failing to register a shot on target.
As per Hernan Castillo (via Albiceleste Talk), FIFA has opened multiple disciplinary cases against the AFA, one of them being Fernandez’s red card aganst Spain.
Some of the others include coming out late for both halves of the Switzerland (quarter-final) and England (semi-final) games, assistant coach Roberto Ayala’s possible three-match suspension for clashes with La Roja players after the final:
The AFA is set to respond to all the charges and present its defence, as per the aforementioned report.
Edited by Bhargav