What did Enzo Fernandez say as Chelsea and Argentina star posts 'racist' chant video?

A huge storm is brewing in the world of football after Argentina and Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez shared a live video on his Instagram account of Copa America celebrations where he sang a "racist and discriminatory" chant aimed at France players.

Argentina beat Colombia 1-0 in the Copa America final after Lautaro Martinez scored the only goal of the game in extra-time with Argentinian players celebrating the win in the days afterwards.

But a live video Fernandez shared on his Instagram account shows him singing a "racist" chant which has since been clipped and has gone viral.

In the video, he can be heard singing a song that emerged ahead of the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France.

France defender and Chelsea team-mate Wesley Fofana posted on X / Twitter and Instagram the viral video with a caption that translates as: "Football in 2024: uninhibited racism."

WARNING: The following Tweet and quote contain content that may be upsetting for some people

The chant goes: "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 received a huge backlash from this across social media and publicly apologised.

He said: "I want to apologise 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 apologise 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."

Enzo Fernandez posted an apology on his Instagram story / @enzojfernandez, Instagram

Despite this, as well as Fofana, two more French Chelsea team-mates have unfollowed him on Instagram - Axel Disasi and Malo Gusto.

The French Football Federation (FFF) blasted the chant as "racist and discriminatory" and said it will "file a legal complaint".

In a statement, the FFF said: "The President of the French Football Federation, 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.

"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 Argentinian counterpart and FIFA, and to file a legal complaint for insulting remarks of a racist and discriminatory nature."

After confirming the club was investigating, Chelsea posted a statement saying it will discipline Fernandez.

It said: "Chelsea Football Club finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour completely unacceptable. We are proud to be a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome.

"We acknowledge and appreciate our player's public apology and will use this as an opportunity to educate. The club has instigated an internal disciplinary procedure."

Shortly after Chelsea shared their statement, FIFA confirmed it is "looking into" the video.

A FIFA spokesperson said: "FIFA is aware of a video circulating on social media and the incident is being looked into. FIFA strongly condemns any form of discrimination by anyone including players, fans and officials."

The Argentinian FA has not commented publicly at the time of writing.

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