Enzo Fernandez has apologised after posting a video which his Chelsea teammate Wesley Fofana called “uninhibited racism”.
Fernandez filmed himself and Argentina’s Copa America-winning team singing a racist and homophobic song aimed at French footballers on a live Instagram video.
The song includes the line “they play in France but they are all from Angola”, as well as “their mother is from Cameroon, while their father is from Nigeria”.
It also includes homophobic insults about Kylian Mbappe, although this section of the song is not included in the video.
Chelsea have launched an internal disciplinary procedure against the player, while the French Football Federation (FFF) have vowed to file a legal complaint with Fifa.
All seven of Fernandez’s black or mixed-race French teammates have unfollowed him on Instagram, alongside Belgian midfielder Romeo Lavia, while Fofana posted a clip of the live video with the caption: “Football in 2024: uninhibited racism”.
Le football en 2024 : racisme décomplexé
— Wesley Fofana (@Wesley_Fofana3) July 16, 2024pic.twitter.com/MGkH5wPmNU
“Chelsea Football Club finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour completely unacceptable,” the club said on Wednesday morning.
“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 Club has instigated an internal disciplinary procedure.”
The chant has become increasingly popular with Argentina fans since beating France on penalties in the 2022 World Cup final.
After the final, French anti-racism movement SOS Racisme said the chant included an “expression of far-right ideology“.
And Fernandez has said: “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 said.
“I stand against discrimination in all forms and apologise for getting caught up in the euphoria of our Copa America celebrations.
“That video, that moments, those words, do not reflect my beliefs or my character. I am truly sorry”
New Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca and the club now have a significant decision to make about how to handle this, with Fofana’s reaction indicating an apology will not be considered a satisfactory response.
Alongside this, a statement from FFF president Philippe Diallo condemned “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.”
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