Chelsea midfielder lands himself in hot water
Spirits were high on Sunday night as Enzo Fernandez took to Instagram Live following Argentina’s Copa America triumph over Colombia.
Sitting on the team coach, he and a number of his teammates sang a derogatory chant directed at the French national team.
The chant included both transphobic and racist lyrics, and the video of the Argentinian national team set social media ablaze in response.
The lyrics that caught the most traction teased the French players for being of African heritage.
Fernandez called out by his teammate
Wesley Fofana, a teammate of Fernandez at Chelsea, called him out for the deeply problematic chant.
In a post on X, he shared the video and added, ‘Football in 2024: uninhibited racism.’
Numerous Black players at Chelsea also appeared to unfollow Fernandez on Instagram in the aftermath of the Instagram Live.
After the video blew up on social media, the Chelsea midfielder posted an apology which can be seen here.
What’s to happen next?
Chelsea is now conducting an’ internal disciplinary procedure’ as they figure out how to best approach the incident.
Some football fans have suggested that Chelsea should sell Fernandez, but that would prove near-impossible.
He joined in January 2023 on an astonishing eight year contract, which severely complicates the club’s chances of moving him on.
What is more likely to happen is a suspension in the form of a fine.
Football as an industry has a reputation for being too lenient when it comes to addressing racism, regardless of where it comes from.
With the Premier League returning in less than a month, Chelsea will hope to deal with the matter as quickly as possible and return to their preparations for a huge season under new manager Enzo Maresca.
