Argentina and England resume fierce rivalry in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final, but Alexis Mac Allister’s mother will not take part in anti-Three Lions chant
Alexis Mac Allister was key to Argentina’s reach of the World Cup semi-finals (Image: Getty Images)
Alexis Mac Allister’s mother plans to refuse to take part in anti-England chants at the World Cup because her granddaughter is British-born. The Three Lions will face Argentina in Wednesday night’s semi-final, the latest chapter in a long-running international rivalry.
Argentine players have already been spotted singing about the Falkland Islands before the match, and some supporters have shared video montages of the conflict on social media.
And while that fight is expected to be fierce in Atlanta on Wednesday, one person who won’t be participating is Mac Allister’s mother, Silvina Riera. He previously had a negative opinion of England, but after spending time with Brighton and Liverpool as a midfielder, he completely changed his mind.
“I had quite a negative impression of England, at least when it came to living there, because of the cold and the lack of sunlight. I was ignorant, so I often said, ‘I wish I hadn’t gone to England,'” she told Buenos Aires’ Radio Miter.
“But now that we’ve experienced it, everything has changed. Even the way we look at people has changed. We expected to encounter cold and distant people, but in fact they are very polite and respectful. We were welcomed into a country that treated us in the best way.”
Meanwhile, she also admitted that her British-born granddaughter is the main reason for not participating in any chants against Britain. He added: “The situation involving England is partly due to the history of the Malvinas Islands. As[Argentina national team coach Lionel]Scaloni said, this is just a football match.”
“My granddaughter was born in England. So when everyone sings ‘He who doesn’t jump is British,’ I sit with her. I can’t be a part of it. I’m not in that part.”
Mac Allister, 27, has once again been key to Argentina’s progress to the semi-finals of the United States, Mexico and Canada, with the Liverpool midfielder starting all but one of the games. He also scored a goal in the quarterfinals against Switzerland, getting the South American team off to a perfect start.
Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister with his mother Silvina Riera (Image: silvinarie/Instagram)
He also talked about upcoming matches. “We understand the context behind it, all the conflicts that come from past events and history,” said Mac Allsiter.
“Of course, we also know that this is not their people’s fault or ours, but rather the fault of those in power, so we should not confuse the two.
“I have a lot of respect for[England]. I’ve been there for six years and they’ve always treated me incredibly well. From a footballing point of view, there’s no doubt they want to beat us at all costs and it’s going to be a very tough game.”
“So the challenge now is to prepare as well as we can. It’s going to be a great battle on the pitch, with mutual respect.”
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