Chelsea Condemns Enzo Fernández’s Racist Chant Following Copa América Final

Chelsea condemned discriminatory behavior from the Argentina National Team and Enzo Fernández following Argentina’s Copa América win over Colombia.

Fernández and his Argentine teammates partook in a chant singling out French players of African heritage. Some Argentina fans used the same chats during Argentina’s 2022 World Cup match against France.

“Chelsea Football Club finds all forms of discriminatory behavior completely unacceptable,” the club wrote in a statement released. “We are proud to be a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome.”

French defender Wesley Fofana cited the chant as “uninhibited racism” while French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra blasted FIFA for not taking immediate action. “Pathetic. Behavior that is all more unacceptable if it is repeated. @FIFAcom: a reaction,” she tweeted on X.

Fernández issued an apology for his actions on Instagram. The midfielder admitted that the song “included highly offensive language” while saying that “those words don’t reflect my beliefs or character. I stand against discrimination in all forms and I apologize for getting caught up in the euphoria of our Copa América celebrations.”

The French Football Federation said it will file a legal complaint in response to the situation. “The President of the FFF, Phillipe Diallo, condemns in the strongest terms the unacceptable, racist remarks which were made against players of the French team in the form of a chant sung by players and supporters of the Argentinian team,” the statement said. Grez also said that FIFA is aware of “a video circulating on social media” and that they are looking into the incident.

“This leaves us, as a country, in bad standing after so much glory,” said Argentina’s sports undersecretary Julio Garro. Garro believes that Lionel Messi and Claudio Tapia should also apologize for the chant.