Sports lawyer details punishment Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez could receive from FA if they investigate his singing video
Former footballer and current sports lawyer Udo Onwere has detailed the potential punishment Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez could receive from the Footbal Association (FA). The organization may investigate the midfielder's video on an Instagram Live, where he and his Argentina teammates were singing racist chants.
They were on the team bus after winning the Copa America final against Colombia, when they began a song about the African ancestry of black French players. The video has gone viral, with Fernandez's Stamford Bridge teammate Wesley Fofana terming it "uninhibited racism".
Chelsea have begun an investigation into Enzo Fernandez's video, and there is a chance that the FA will too. If they do, he could be banned for at least six games. This is according to Udo Onwere, who explained (via inews.co.uk):
“From my experience of dealing with these things, the FA may want to impose their own disciplinary measure, because here you have a situation where the charge has been admitted, then they’ll just look and see what censure that they can provide."
He added:
“I guess the FA may look and see how this has been handled by Chelsea before they decide what sort of stance that they will take. If it was an England player, for example, then the FA would be able to get involved. If this had been a tweet, the FA definitely would have got involved and he would have been banned for six/seven games minimum."
It is believed to be unlikely that FIFA, who are also investigating the matter, will direct a ban towards Enzo Fernandez personally. The world governing body are more likely to sanction Argentina as a whole.
Onwere explains why Chelsea will not suspend Enzo Fernandez
Although Enzo Fernandez is currently under investigation by Chelsea, it does not seem likely that they will suspend him, according to sports lawyer Udo Onwere. There are already concerns about how the Stamford Bridge dressing room might be affected, especially with the club's contingent of black French players.
However, for Onwere, a fine is all that the Blues will likely hand down as punishment to Fernandez. He explained (via the aforementioned source):
“Even though what’s happened is absolutely disgusting, Chelsea will look down the financial route... But because he cost £100m, it’s unlikely they’re going to look to ostracize him or remove him from the club... He will get the biggest financial penalty the club can impose legally."
“They will make sure he has a public airing to express his apology, but they’ll look to move on with it. Chelsea are likely to try and hope they can cover it up, fine him and hopefully another big story will come down the track so they can bury the news.”
The Blues have black French players like Wesley Fofana, Lesley Ugochukwu, Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, and Malo Gusto in their ranks. They have a long history of signing similar players who have succeded at the club, including legends Claude Makelele and N'Golo Kante.