The Argentine Football Association (AFA) announced on Monday it has opened a case against Argentine second division club All Boys, after anti-semitic gestures and chants were prominent in their clash against second division rivals Atlanta. 

In a statement released on Monday, the AFA expressed its “total and absolute repudiation of the aberrant acts of anti-Semitism carried out by All Boys fans” both before and during the match.

It all unfolded on Sunday, as All Boys hosted Atlanta in an Argentine second division matchup. Several hooded fans were seen carrying a casket with the Atlanta colors and an Israeli flag in the vicinity of the stadium, in the Floresta neighbourhood. They also flew the flags of Iran and Palestine and handed out pamphlets with anti-semitic chants and messages.

Once the game started, a drone carrying the Palestine flag overflew the pitch, and All Boys’ fans sang anti-semitic chants in the stands.

Atlanta has been linked to the Argentine jew diaspora since at least the 1940s, when a large jewish community developed in the club’s neighborhood of Villa Crespo. Since then, it has been the target of several acts of anti-semitism. 

“[We] call the entire footballing community to eradicate once and for all these kinds of behaviors. This is not football folklore, this is discrimination,” AFA’s communiqué said, adding their wishes are that “Argentine football celebrations are conducted in peace and respect.”

Argentine’s football’s governing body also wrote that they have opened a case with its Discipline Court against the club for the events.

It’s far from the first time this has happened. In June 2024, Buenos Aires City slapped a four year ban on an All Boys fan — and a one-year prohibition to another four — for similar acts. In May 2023, a banner with a message condemning Israel showed up in front of the Atlanta stadium in the build-up to a game.

Contacted by the Herald for comment, Atlanta press officer Marcelo Santoro confirmed the club will release no statement of their own, but pledges to the AFA communique. He also highlighted the conduct of the All Boys board, saying they felt “looked after at every point” and that none in the team or staff had “any issues whatsoever entering or exiting the stadium” and lamented “an issue that exceeds sports and is instead “a problem within society.”