American YouTuber and livestream star IShowSpeed was wearing a Cabo Verde jersey as he streamed Argentina's 3-2 victory over the African side when he turned towards an Argentinian fan in the stands after hearing comments directed at him.

The exchange quickly escalated, with footage from the livestream appearing to show the supporter making racist gestures towards the influencer.

Now, football's governing body, FIFA, has launched an investigation into the incident, describing the World Cup as a celebration of "unity, diversity and respect."

The organisation said it became aware of the alleged abuse at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium during the last-32 match on 3 July and "immediately initiated an investigation."

No room for racism

"FIFA strongly condemns racism, hate and discrimination in all forms. These actions have no place in football, at the FIFA World Cup, or anywhere in society," the organisation said in a statement.

The 21-year-old American, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr, is one of the world's biggest online creators, with more than 150 million followers across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and X.

IShowSpeed had been livestreaming matches throughout the tournament, with appearances from FIFA president Gianni Infantino and former football star Zlatan Ibrahimović featuring in some of his broadcasts.

The alleged incident involving IShowSpeed is the latest in a series of racism-related controversies overshadowing the tournament.

Repeated racist abuses

Days earlier, Kylian Mbappé publicly condemned Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla after she posted racist remarks targeting his background and education following France's victory over Paraguay. The French Football Federation has since announced plans to file criminal charges, calling the comments "utterly abhorrent and unacceptable."

Meanwhile, Egypt's round-of-16 match against Argentina also sparked allegations of racist abuse.

During the game, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan crossed his arms in an "X" gesture—the FIFA-recognised signal used by players and officials to report racist abuse to the referee. Under FIFA's three-step anti-racism protocol, the signal can trigger a temporary suspension of play and, if abuse continues, the abandonment of the match.

Instead, Hassan was shown a yellow card and the game continued.

Videos circulating online also showed some Egyptian supporters alleging they had been subjected to racist abuse during the knockout clash, adding to concerns over discriminatory behaviour at a tournament FIFA has repeatedly said should unite people from all backgrounds.

The governing body reiterated that anyone who undermines the values of "unity, diversity and respect" is "not welcome in our game" as its investigation into the alleged abuse of IShowSpeed continues.