Alistair Johnston takes on racists in strong defense of black players on Canadian national team

Argentina and Canada opened the 2024 Copa América with the first match of the group stage at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. World champions La Albiceleste eventually won with a Score 2-0 against their rivalswith goals from Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez, and with Leo Messi threatening on every play on the field throughout the game.

As usual, Messi tried until he was tired to score a goal, but he did not succeed, and one of the factors that contributed to this was the Canadian defense, which fulfilled its task by preventing the Argentine star from scoring. It was made up of players like Alphonso Davies, Derek Cornelius, Alistair Johnston and Moses Bombito.

During the duel, Bombito and Leo Messi played an unfortunate game in which the Canadian, to stop the goal threat for his goal, committed a foul on the world champion. This did not go unnoticed by anyone and Albiceleste fans condemned it both inside the stadium and on social media.

The fans went to great lengths, launching racist attacks towards Bombito for what happened during the match. The attacks reached such a magnitude that the Canadian national team and Concacaf spoke about it through official statements.

Canadian players have spoken out on the issue

Alphonso Davies And Jesse March made the matter public, posting their thoughts on social media, because they were very explicit about it and they received support from the Canadian Soccer Federation and other teams.

Davies and Marsh weren't the only players to speak out against racism on Saturday. Canadian defender Alistair Johnston wrote in X: “This is Canada. Our strength is in our diversity and that's what makes our country special, not tragic.”

Even the Colorado Rapids of MLS, Bombito's team condemned the insults and publicly supported their player: “We express our affection and support for Moïse Bombito. Discrimination and racism should never find a place in our sport, on social media or in our society,” they wrote in what has been a sensitive topic.