Chelsea's French players angry with Enzo Fernandez and his Argentina teammates for their racist chants after Copa America win - Reports
Chelsea's French players are reportedly angry with their teammate Enzo Fernandez, who was captured on video singing racist chants about the French national team with his Argentina teammates. The incident occurred after La Albiceleste won Copa America 2024, beating Colombia 1-0 at the Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
The players were celebrating on their team bus with Enzo Fernandez filming live on Instagram. The players were heard singing (via Metro):
"...on passport, French nationality, listen, spread the word, they play in France, but they are all…"
At this point, the video was cut, but the chant had already made rounds on social media earlier, following Argentina's win at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. After beating France on penalties, La Albiceleste supporters sang derogatory chants about French players who had African ancestry. The song also included a transphobic remark aimed at Kylian Mbappe, who was rumored to have dated Ines Rau, a transgender model.
The words to the chant, as reported by Metro, 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."
Following the video clip of Fernandez and his teammates singing the chant going viral, Fabrice Hawkins has claimed it has affected the Chelsea dressing room. According to the journalist (via @CFCPys on X), the Blues' contingent of French players is angry with Enzo Fernandez.
The midfielder is expected to return to Stamford Bridge after a break, having helped La Albiceleste win Copa America. It is uncertain how Chelsea will respond to this matter.
FFF reports Argentina players to FIFA after Chelsea midfielder shares live video of racist chants
According to AFP (via GFFN), the France Football Federation (FFF) have decided to refer the matter of racist chants by the Argentina squad to FIFA. This comes after Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez and his teammates sang racist chants on Instagram live.
FIFA have yet to respond to the request from the FFF officially, with the France Federation yet to make an official statement on the matter as well. However, the racist chants aimed at French players have seen public backlash on social media, and will be some cause for concern.