ARIn November 2020, during the Rugby Championship amid the pandemic, the Argentine national rugby team 'Los Pumas' faced New Zealand in Newcastle, Australia. Before the match, New Zealand captain Sam Cane honored Diego Maradona by placing a black jersey with his name on the field, a gesture that contrasted sharply with the minimal tribute offered by the Argentinian team, which wore only a small black band as a sign of mourning. The incident sparked significant media attention and scrutiny of the players’ social media accounts, where some posts were found to contain racist and xenophobic content. Pablo Matera, a player, was particularly affected, losing his captaincy and facing disciplinary action from his club. Recently, the Union Argentina de Rugby (UAR) made amends by having the Pumas wear a special jersey identical to the one used by the 1986 Argentine football team during their historic World Cup victory against England at the Azteca Stadium. This gesture symbolized a tribute to Maradona’s legacy, though the UAR did not explicitly mention his name in their official statement.
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