Chelsea: Fernandez video ‘was an attack on all black players’; Gallas predicts dressing room ‘will be different’

Former Chelsea defender William Gallas thinks the racist video posted by Enzo Fernandez “was an attack on all black players”.

The midfielder has issued an apology over a video he posted which appeared to show him and his team-mates chanting about the France team as they celebrated their Copa America success last weekend.

Chelsea and FIFA are investigating the incident , with Fernandez’s French team-mate Wesley Fofana describing it as “uninhibited racism” .

Responding to the incident, Gallas told Gambling Zone : “Enzo video felt personal, it was an attack on all black players and offended all of us: To be honest, when I saw the video that Enzo Fernandez posted, it touched me. I played for the French national team, and even though I retired a while ago, I felt it very personally.

“It was like they were singing about me and all the other black players that represent their countries. I can’t imagine the reaction of the Chelsea players when they saw that video. I was very angry about it, and I put something on my social media saying that it was unacceptable.

“The Argentina players were singing about the French players, but for me it’s not only the French players. It’s offensive to all black players who represent their countries and who play football.

“It would have offended Nico Williams. It would have offended Lamine Yamal. It would have offended the black and mixed-race players that play for England. Racism is never acceptable in football. I have a major problem with what the Argentina players did, and FIFA and UEFA need to do something about it.”

Speaking about Fofana’s comments that it was “uninhibited racism”, Fernandez’s Argentina team-mate Rodrigo De Paul said: “If someone or a colleague of Enzo feels offended, the way to go about it is to call him if you know him personally, not to put it on social networks.”

Responding to De Paul’s comments, Gallas added: “When you hear Rodrigo De Paul’s comments, it’s hard to believe that we are in the year 2024. For him to say that Wesley Fofana should call Enzo Fernandez and discuss what happened rather than express his disgust on social media.

“It makes me think that these Argentina players don’t really understand how offensive the song is and that they can’t see a problem with it. It’s not Fofana’s responsibility to call Enzo Fernandez. Enzo Fernandez should have called his teammates straight away and apologized about what he did – it’s too late to say sorry to individuals after you’ve acknowledged you made a mistake on social media.

“Enzo shouldn’t have posted the video in the first place, but the first reaction should have been to call his colleagues, not post something on social media. The apology to the Chelsea players feels like an afterthought. He only reacted after the negative reaction the video got on social media.”

MORE ON THE ENZO FERNANDEZ RACISM FROM F365
👉 Enzo Fernandez ‘private apology’ to Chelsea players to fall on deaf ears – ‘Will never trust him again’
👉 Is Enzo Fernandez a racist? It ‘really does not matter’…
👉 Chelsea insider uses four-letter swear to sum up ‘dressing-room rift’ over racist Enzo Fernandez video

And Gallas thinks the incident will now impact Fernandez’s standing in the Chelsea dressing room with the World Cup winner having to win back the trust and respect of his team-mates.

Gallas continued: “Things will be difficult for Enzo in Chelsea dressing room, it will be hard for the offended players to accept him: We won’t know how this incident will have affected the atmosphere in the Chelsea dressing room until Enzo Fernandez joins up with the rest of the squad.

“We’ve seen some of the players unfollow him immediately on social media and make comments condemning the incident. One thing that is certain is that when Enzo Fernandez walks back into the dressing room at Chelsea, things will be different for him.

“I’m sure that he will speak to the players and I’m sure he will apologise to the players. It is going to be hard for him to be accepted by some of his teammates. When something like this happens, it’s not easy to take it as player. They will do their job on the pitch and will be professional, but I don’t think they will be friends.”