President also blames Brazil and Mexico and says online critics ‘do not want the ideas of freedom to succeed’ More than a week has passed since Ferran Torres scored the extra-time…

President also blames Brazil and Mexico and says online critics ‘do not want the ideas of freedom to succeed’ More than a week has passed since Ferran Torres scored the extra-time goal that gave Spain its second World Cup title, but – at least for Argentina’s president – the tournament is not over. Javier Milei has claimed that a coordinated “anti-Argentina campaign” was behind criticism of the country’s team, accusations of racism among its fans and conspiracy theories alleging that Lionel Messi’s side was secretly being favoured by Fifa. Now, the far-right president has taken the narrative a step further, alleging that the supposed campaign was financed by the US Democratic party and the governments of Brazil and Mexico. “It was the work of progressive minds who do not want the ideas of freedom to succeed,” claimed the self-styled libertarian in an interview with a local radio station on Sunday. He went on to claim that the “government of Brazil”, led by the leftwing president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, had allegedly provided the largest share of the funding. Analysts in Argentina said Milei had embraced the narrative as a distraction from his plummeting popularity, while others argued that the “real anti-Argentina campaign” was the one the president was waging “with his chainsaw” austerity plan. Yet, the narrative has gained traction, even reaching people who do not support Milei. Pablo Torres, a 52-year-old bookseller from Buenos Aires who “never voted for him and never would”, said there had been a social media “bombardment” against the country that left him feeling “outrage” and “disgust”.