Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has apologised for a social media video which the French Football Federation says includes an alleged ‘racist and discriminatory’ chant.
The FFF said on Tuesday it would be complaining to FIFA over the video, which appeared to show some of the Argentina squad singing about France’s players amid celebrations after their 1-0 Copa America Final win over Colombia in Miami in the early hours of Monday.
🚨 Enzo Fernández statement to apologize after racist chants. pic.twitter.com/IW1uDPoPne
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 16, 2024
Fernandez’s Chelsea teammate Wesley Fofana, a France international, took to social media to repost an image of the video with the caption ‘Football in 2024: uninhibited racism.’
He, along with teammates Axel Disasi and Malo Gusto, appear to have unfollowed 23-year-old Fernandez on social media in the wake of the video.
Chelsea issued a statement on Wednesday saying: “Chelsea Football Club finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour completely unacceptable. We are proud to be a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome.
“We acknowledge and appreciate our player’s public apology and will use this as an opportunity to educate.”
The Blues have also launched an internal disciplinary process against Fernandez, who insists the incident ‘does not reflect my character.’
Their £106.8m signing from Benfica in January 2023 returned to social media on Tuesday night to post: “I want to apologise sincerely for a video posted on my Instagram channel during the national team celebrations.
“The song includes highly offensive language and there is absolutely no excuse for these words.”
He added: “I stand against discrimination in all forms and apologise for getting caught up in the euphoria of our Copa America celebrations.
“That video, that moment, those words, do not reflect my beliefs or my character. I am truly sorry.”
Le football en 2024 : racisme décomplexé 🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/MGkH5wPmNU
— Wesley Fofana (@Wesley_Fofana3) July 16, 2024
A statement from FFS president Philippe Diallo “condemns in the strongest terms the unacceptable and discriminatory remarks that were made against the players of the French team.
“Faced with the seriousness of these shocking remarks, contrary to the values of sport and human rights, the president of the FFF decided to directly appeal to his Argentine counterpart and FIFA and to file a legal complaint for racially offensive and discriminatory remarks.”
On Wednesday a spokesperson for the game’s global governing body said: “FIFA is aware of a video circulating on social media and the incident is being looked into. FIFA strongly condemns any form of discrimination by anyone including players, fans and officials.”
France beat Argentina in the last 16 of the 2018 World Cup, before Argentina got their revenge in the 2022 World Cup Final.
