LONDON.- He Chelsea initiated disciplinary action against midfielder Enzo Fernández for his involvement in a video where several members of the Argentina team that won the America Cup They appeared singing about French footballers of African descent.
FIFA said it was investigating the incident after the French federation said it would file a complaint with soccer’s governing body over “racist and discriminatory comments.”
Fernandez apologised and Chelsea said his discriminatory behaviour was “completely unacceptable”.
“We are proud to be a diverse and inclusive club, where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome,” the Premier League side said in a statement on Wednesday. “We recognise and appreciate our player’s public apology and will use this as an opportunity to educate.”
“The club has opened an internal disciplinary procedure,” he added.
Argentina beat Colombia 1-0 on Sunday in Miami Gardens, Florida. After winning the title, a video posted on Instagram appeared to show Fernandez and national team players chanting about the team. France during the celebration.
The same chants, by some Argentine fans, arose before France and Argentina met in the 2022 World Cup final.
The insulting chants target French footballers of African descent, from various nations and with French passports.
Fernández apologized for “getting carried away by the euphoria of our Copa America celebrations.”
“That video, that moment, those words do not reflect my beliefs or my character,” he said in a statement on Instagram. “I am truly sorry.”
Fernandez became the most expensive player in British football history when he moved from Portuguese club Benfica to Chelsea for £106.7 million ($131.4 million) in 2023.
Chelsea’s response came after one of its players, French defender Wesley Fofana, posted the video of the Argentina team on his social media accounts on Tuesday, calling it “uninhibited racism.”
Fofana, who has family ties to the Ivory Coast, is one of several black French players in Chelsea’s first team.
Messi apologizes:
Meanwhile, the Undersecretary of Sports, Julio Garro, demanded that the captain of the Albiceleste, Lionel Messi, and the Argentine Football Association (AFA) “apologize.”
“The captain of the national team should also come out and apologize for this case. The same goes for the president of the AFA (Claudio Tapia),” said the official from Javier Milei’s government in statements to a radio station. “I think it is appropriate. It leaves us in a bad position as a country, with so much glory.”
The AFA has not yet commented on the incident involving the midfielder, who will also be a world champion in Qatar 2022.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said football and its 211 national federations must have a zero-tolerance approach to racism and in May pledged to relaunch a task force to monitor incidents.
“FIFA is aware of a video circulating on social media and is investigating the incident,” the organisation said on Wednesday. “FIFA strongly condemns any form of discrimination by any person, including players, fans or authorities.”
It is unclear whether FIFA has jurisdiction over an incident on a team bus after a tournament, but it could act if it is deemed unsatisfactory by Argentina’s federation’s handling of the incident.
Source: AP