Controversy over "Franco, Franco" chants during Mastantuono's first match at the Bernabéu

BarcelonaThis Tuesday, Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid made their La Liga debut against Osasuna. The Whites, despite failing to create any great chances, didn't let their guard down: a Kylian Mbappé penalty kick helped them win at the Santiago Bernabéu. Another highlight of the debut was the positive impression made by Argentine signing Franco Mastantuono. Coming from River Plate and wearing the number 30, he came on with half an hour left in the game and showed signs of quality. But aside from that, the Argentine has been the center of controversy due to the chants at the Bernabéu: some Real Madrid fans chanted "Franco, Franco" to encourage the player.

After the match, the chant could also be heard outside the Bernabéu. In fact, the cameras at the Gamers' Beach Bar captured the moment the fans began to shout. This very program fueled the controversy: its presenter, Josep Pedrerol, asked the program's panelists how they thought the player's name should be sung. The majority considered "Franco" to be the most appropriate. Aside from the controversial chants, Mastantuono has also been in the eye of the storm for having been registered with Madrid's reserve team, Castilla, instead of the first team. This mechanism to circumvent the rules of the fair play The financial situation has been criticized, and there have even been claims that it could be illegal. But the Osasuna president has already said that they will not reschedule the match.

Far-right chants

This isn't the first time in the last year that a dictator's name has been trivialized in football stadiums. Specifically, in December 2024, when Mussolini's great-grandson scored his first goal in Serie B, Italy's second division, the fans of Juve Stabia called out his surname while raising their right hands. Romano Floriani Mussolini, a Lazio youth academy graduate, calls himself Romano Mussolini, thus ignoring his first surname. But the case of Franco Mastantuono is entirely different: his name has nothing to do with Francisco Franco.

This week, another far-right chant went viral in the Spanish League. Elche, newly promoted to the first division, hosted Betis at home. During the match, fans in the Valencian team's cheering stands shouted at a "Sieg Heil"just to end a shouting match. The match ended with a 1-1 draw.