The French Embassy in Argentina declared Hebe Casado persona non grata after a social media post in which she called the French team an "African team with poor manners" during the 2026 World Cup.
The measure was taken after Casado posted on X during the France versus Paraguay round-of-16 match: "Very well Paraguay. The African team with poor manners. I can't stand Mbappé". Ambassador Romain Nadal stated that "racism is not an opinion, it is a crime".
As a result, no French official will attend meetings with the Mendoza government if Casado is present. The vice-governor defended her comment as part of "football folklore" and rejected that it was discriminatory.
The ambassador added that "there is no place for racism in Franco-Argentine cooperation". Casado is part of the Cambia Mendoza alliance and recently joined La Libertad Avanza.
