Por Andres Idda Bianchi|pexels.com
Luanda, August 19, 2025
Recipients:
- His Excellency Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini
- The Players of the Argentine National Football Team
- The Argentine Football Association (AFA)
- The Technical Committee of the Argentine National Team
Subject: Appeal for the Cancellation of the Friendly Match with the Angola National Team (Palancas Negras)
Your Excellencies,
With our respectful greetings,
The undersigned organizations — the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace and Integrity of Creation of CEAST, Pro Bono Angola, the Justice, Peace and Democracy Association (AJPD), and Friends of Angola (FoA) — hereby express their deep concern and appeal for the cancellation of the scheduled friendly match between the Argentina National Team and the Palancas Negras, set for November 2025 at the 11 de Novembro Stadium in Luanda, as part of the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Angola’s independence.
CANCELLATION OF THE FRIENDLY MATCH BETWEEN ANGOLA AND ARGENTINA
This appeal is not against sport or the bonds of friendship between peoples. On the contrary, it is a cry of conscience in the face of the painful reality endured by millions of Angolans — a reality that starkly contrasts with the extravagance and millions of dollars spent in organizing this event.
A COUNTRY IN FOOD AND SOCIAL CRISIS
According to the SOFI 2025 Report – The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, more than 27 million Angolans (about 71.4% of the population) did not have access to a healthy diet in 2024. Undernourishment affects 22.5% of the population — approximately 8.3 million people.
While public resources are channeled into large-scale sporting events, thousands of children and adults suffer from chronic hunger, severe anemia, and widespread food insecurity.
REPRESSION INSTEAD OF DIALOGUE
The grave social crisis unfolds in a political environment marked by systematic repression against citizens who express critical views. Although Angola presents itself as a democracy with a free economy, only a select group of citizens, mostly linked to the ruling MPLA party, benefit from business opportunities and access to credit lines.
Despite the country’s vast natural wealth — oil, minerals, biodiversity, water resources, and over 11 million hectares of arable land — the overwhelming majority of the population lives in extreme poverty and does not benefit from these riches.
In just three days of protests (July 28–30, 2025), the National Police recorded at least 30 deaths, more than 277 injuries, and about 1,515 arrests.
This scenario includes:
- Arbitrary arrests of journalists, activists, and peaceful demonstrators
- Excessive use of police force, with reports of summary executions
- Criminalization of freedom of expression and civic mobilization, especially among young people
Such abuses are widely documented by organizations including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and United Nations special rapporteurs. They reveal a State that silences dissenting voices instead of listening to them — a logic of political control, not a commitment to justice and dignity.
THE FRIENDLY MATCH AS A PROPAGANDA TOOL
The match against the Argentine team is being promoted as part of the 50th independence anniversary celebrations. However, it does not represent an inclusive commemoration for the Angolan people. On the contrary, it becomes a propaganda tool, used to cover up violations and divert attention from the severe social crisis.
Spending millions of dollars on a sporting event while thousands go hungry, hospitals collapse, and repression intensifies is not a legitimate priority — it is an insult to human dignity.
APPEAL TO CONSCIENCE
Mr. Messi, Gentlemen of the AFA, and players of the Argentine national team:
Your talent inspires millions and transcends borders. Your presence in Angola would carry enormous symbolic weight. For that very reason, refusing to participate in this match would be a noble gesture of international solidarity and respect for human rights.
This is not about politics, but about principles.
The cancellation of this friendly match would be a courageous, ethical, and profoundly humanitarian act — a clear message to the world that justice, dignity, and equality matter more than any sporting spectacle financed through the suffering of a people.
With the highest consideration,
The Undersigned Organizations:
- Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace and Integrity of Creation of CEAST
- Pro Bono Angola
- Justice, Peace and Democracy Association (AJPD)
- Friends of Angola (FoA)
