Luanda, August 19, 2025
By Friends of Angola
A coalition of Angolan civil society organizations has issued a joint open letter urging Argentina’s national football team and the Argentine Football Association (AFA) to cancel the friendly match scheduled against Angola’s Palancas Negras in November 2025. The game, planned as part of Angola’s 50th independence anniversary celebrations, is set to take place at the Estádio 11 de Novembro in Luanda.
The signatories — the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace of CEAST, Pro Bono Angola, Associação Justiça, Paz e Democracia (AJPD), and Friends of Angola (FoA) — argue that the match would serve as political propaganda for the Angolan government while the country faces deep social and humanitarian crises.
A Country in Crisis
The organizations highlight that over 27 million Angolans, or 71.4% of the population, lacked access to a healthy diet in 2024, while 8.3 million people suffer from undernutrition, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2025 report.
They stress that while millions struggle with chronic hunger, severe anemia, and widespread food insecurity, the Angolan government is diverting public resources to finance expensive sporting events.
Repression and Human Rights Abuses
The letter further denounces the political climate in Angola, marked by systematic repression of dissent. Civil society points to recent crackdowns during protests in late July 2025, where police violence led to 30 deaths, 277 injuries, and more than 1,500 arrests within just three days.
The abuses cited include arbitrary arrests of journalists and activists, excessive police force including extrajudicial executions, and the criminalization of free expression and civic mobilization — particularly among youth.
International human rights watchdogs such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and UN Special Rapporteurs have documented these violations, painting a picture of a state that silences its citizens rather than engaging in dialogue.
The Match as Propaganda
According to the signatories, the match against Argentina is being used as a propaganda tool within the government’s independence celebrations. Instead of symbolizing national unity, they argue, the event will mask social injustice, repression, and inequality.
“Investing millions of dollars in a sporting event, while hospitals collapse and people go hungry, is not a legitimate priority — it is an insult to human dignity,” the letter states.
Appeal to Messi and the Argentine Team
In their appeal, the organizations directly address Lionel Messi, the Argentine national team, and the AFA:
“Your talent inspires millions across borders. Refusing to participate in this match would be a noble gesture of international solidarity and respect for human rights. It is not about politics, but about principles.”
They conclude by calling on Argentina to cancel the friendly, framing such a decision as an ethical and humanitarian stand, sending a clear message that justice and dignity matter more than political spectacle.
