Enzo Fernandez has come forward with an apology after being caught on video singing an alleged racist and transphobic chant following Argentina's Copa America final triumph over Colombia .
The Chelsea midfielder took to social media platforms on Tuesday, expressing his regret: "I want to apologize 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.
"I stand against discrimination in all forms and apologize 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."
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In the wake of Argentina's nail-biting win against Colombia on Sunday, footage surfaced online showing Fernandez among teammates chanting a controversial song about French players. The clip shows the Argentine squad singing the initial verses of the chant before someone off-camera advises Fernandez to "cut the video."
The contentious chant, which gained notoriety around the time of the 2022 World Cup final between France and Argentina, includes the lines: "Listen, spread the word, they play in France, but they are all from Angola, they are going to run well, they like to sleep with trans people, their mum is Nigerian, their dad is Cameroonian, but on the passport it says: French."
Fernandez's short video clip sparked immediate outrage from both fans and fellow players, with his Chelsea teammate Wesley Fofana posting a screenshot of the video on X and Instagram, captioned: "Football in 2024: uninhibited racism."
It appears that Chelsea's Axel Diasi and Malo Gusto have also unfollowed Fernandez on Instagram following his offensive post.
The French Football Federation has released an official statement, with president Philippe Diallo urging the Argentine Football Association and FIFA to take swift action against the chant. He added that the association has lodged a legal complaint.
"Philippe Diallo condemns in the strongest terms the unacceptable racist and discriminatory remarks which were made against the players of the French team in the context of a song sung by players and supporters of the Argentina team after its victory in the Copa America and broadcast in a video on social media," the message began.
"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 challenge his Argentine counterpart and FIFA and to file a legal complaint for insulting remarks of a racial and discriminatory nature."
Anti-racism group SOS Racisme has come forward with a strong condemnation of the video, stating: "We condemn these intolerable comments in the strongest possible terms. Racism has absolutely no place in sport, or in any other sphere of society. We demand that strict measures be taken against this deplorable behaviour."
Chelsea is said to have initiated an inquiry into the incident, but as of now, no disciplinary action has been taken against Fernandez.
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