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Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has opened up on the offensive video that emerged on Instagram last year, and what happened after
Enzo Fernandez has revealed he cut short his 2024 summer holiday to apologise to his Chelsea team-mates in-person after a clip emerged of him singing a racist and homophobic song.
The 24-year-old posted a video on Instagram in July 2024 that showed him and his Argentina team-mates chanting the offensive slurs about members of the France team. The incident occurred on the team bus after they celebrated their win against Colombia in the Copa America final.
Fernandez's Chelsea team-mate Wesley Fofana – who has been capped once by France – criticised the "uninhibited racism" in the video, while a number of other players unfollowed him. He later apologised, saying the video did not "reflect my beliefs or my character".
Now, Fernandez has opened up on the racism scandal again, admitting he decided to end his summer vacation short to apologise to his team-mates in-person.
Chelsea were out in the United States on a pre-season tour ahead of the first set of matches since Enzo Maresca's appointment.
"I remember that period and what happened," Fernandez told GiveMeSport. "It was a really hard time for me personally and I suffered during it.
"What happened [being accused of signing a racist song] is not typical of who I am. I've always understood my teammates' position, so the first thing I did was to phone them and tell them I wasn’t going to go on holiday because I wanted to travel back to speak to them in person to tell them what sort of guy I am and about my values.
"They understood that and now we all get on well. It all fizzled out and there’s now very good harmony in the dressing room.
"I called them while I was away," Fernandez continued, when asked if he immediately apologised in-person. "And then I cut my holiday short and travelled to where the team was for pre-season in America.
"The first thing I did when I arrived was to go and speak with them to apologise in person."
Fernandez added that, despite the fact he offended his teammates, it strengthened his relationship with the rest of the squad. "Yes, absolutely. It was a tough time, but my teammates understood me," he finished.
"It was a euphoric moment in which I didn’t want to hurt anyone. It was just a song that we sing in Argentina as part of ‘football folklore’, which is what we call it.
"It was a really difficult time for me and I tried to apologise to the squad to show my team-mates that I’m not the type to discriminate or judge others. They understood my message and that’s where it all ended."
Fernandez has been in excellent form this season for Chelsea, with the midfielder chipping in with five goals and two assists in 19 appearances across all competitions.
English (US) ·