Football rivalry gone too far Argentine club Newell s sanctions 9 year olds over rival player photo

BUENOS AIRES – A simple photo between kids and a professional footballer has spiralled into controversy in Argentina, after Newell’s Old Boys sanctioned their youth players for posing with Rosario Central’s Ignacio Malcorra – a move seen as a shocking escalation of the city’s fierce football rivalry.

Newell’s, the Rosario club that once nurtured a young Lionel Messi, suspended the academy players from training and revoked their scholarships for three months after discovering their photo with Malcorra, who has been playing for bitter rivals Rosario Central since 2022.

The decision, which club officials framed as a “protective measure” following reported fan threats, has drawn strong criticism from both the public and prominent figures, while Malcorra himself also expressed his dismay at the row.

“I feel sad for them. Children are innocent and don’t know much about what they’re doing,” Malcorra told reporters on June 6, recounting the chance encounter at a youth tournament three months ago.

“They just wanted to take a photo with a top-flight player, like any child would.”

As the photo went viral on social media only recently, club officials said earlier this week that the matter had been dealt with internally, while some ultra-supporters had reportedly demanded the children to be expelled.

Argentina national team head coach Lionel Scaloni also condemned the sanctions.

“If you dream of playing in the First Division one day, it doesn’t matter who you play with,” he told reporters before their World Cup qualifying match against Chile on June 5, which they won 1-0.

“We should value that these kids wanted to take a picture with a first-division player.

“If we want to eradicate violence, we must do the exact opposite – tell them to take the picture and, if their dream is to one day play in the first division,