"It was important for him to understand why it wasn't a good thing" - Wesley Fofana on how Chelsea players dealt with Enzo Fernandez's racist chant
Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana has explained how Blues teammates handled the situation after Enzo Fernandez's racist chants emerged online. The Frenchman revealed explaining to the Argentine midfielder why the chants were offensive and should not be continued.
Fofana further stated that the matter was handled in a 'good way', while the manager was also in attendance for the meeting. He added that Enzo was not aware of how serious the chants were. He told Free Foot (via Daily Mail):
"It was sorted out in a very good way. He came back, and we had a discussion with the club, with the manager; we had a meeting. We explained why we took it badly because it was important for him to understand why it wasn’t a good thing for him to do and why we took it badly. We explained it to him. We understood in his speech that he didn’t understand that it could have hurt us. He didn’t understand that it was something serious."
Talking about how they were handling things moving forward, Fofana stated that they planned to educate Enzo about the situation and explained:
"The best thing to do is to educate him to make him understand that certain things, in certain countries, that are perhaps acceptable in that country but that in others it is very serious and that it is punishable by the law. I think he understood and now we move forward. We are a team and he is a great player. He is an example so I hope that he will be an example in the right way for everybody."
Enzo Fernandez was named the temporary Chelsea captain this season in Reece James' absence. He captained the side in the first three matches of the current Premier League season.
Wesley Fofana admits he thought about leaving Chelsea this summer
Wesley Fofana admitted in his interview with Free Foot that he had an offer to join Marseille this summer. However, he wanted to become a success at Chelsea. He said:
"I had a conversation that really touched me. I would be lying if I said I didn't weigh it up. It was from Benatia, Marseille's sporting director. It touched me and I think everyone knows why. I thought about it but there you go, the current objective is to succeed at Chelsea, to try and play regularly, and to establish myself at my club."
Chelsea signed Fofana from Leicester City in 2022 for a reported £70 million fee. He missed all of the last season due to an ACL injury and has returned to action this summer.