23 years old Enzo Fernandez has come under scrutiny, alongside fellow nation teammates as a video surfaced on the internet with the Chelsea player chanting racist utterances.
Argentina won the Copa America after beating Colombia 1:0 in extra time on Monday 15, July 2024. Video circulating on social media showed Fernandez together with other teammates celebrating with a calculated racist chanting.
The full lyrics to the song are: “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.”
This has sparked wide condemnation as some Chelsea players like Fofana have responded to Enzo Fernandez’s message. Fonna replied that ” Football in 2024: uninhibited racism. Players like Wesley Fofana and others are alleged to have unfollowed Enzo Fernandez on Instagram
The president of French Football Federation – FFF, Philippe Diallo has condemned in strongest firmness, the unacceptable racists and discriminatory remarks made on the players of France national team in a song chanted by players and supporters of Argentina. The federation wrote that ” “Faced with the seriousness of these shocking remarks, contrary to the values of sport and human rights, the president of the FFF has decided to directly challenge its Argentinian counterpart and FIFA, and to lodge a legal complaint for remarks of racism and discriminatory nature.”
On their part, Chelsea are to investigate Enzo Fernandez for posting on his Instagram account the video of racism, taunting the French national team players.
Argentina made similar gestures in 2022 after winning the world cup against France on penalties