Argentina’s midfielder Enzo Fernandez has publicly apologized for participating in a racist chant directed at French football players during the celebration of their Copa America victory. Following Argentina’s 1-0 win over Colombia in the final on July 14 in Miami, a video surfaced on social media from Enzo’s Instagram Live. The video, which quickly went viral, showed members of the Argentina squad singing an offensive song about French players.
Enzo Fernandez of Argentina gestures during the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 match.(Getty Images via AFP) Enzo Fernandez of Argentina gestures during the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 match.(Getty Images via AFP) Fernandez, acknowledging the incident without excuses, stated that the emotions of the celebration led to the inappropriate behavior.
“I want to sincerely apologize for a video posted on my Instagram during our national team celebrations. The song contained highly offensive language, and there is absolutely no justification for those words,” Fernandez wrote on his Instagram story.
“I stand firmly against all forms of discrimination and regret getting caught up in the euphoria of our celebrations. That video, that moment, and those words do not reflect my beliefs or my character. I am truly sorry,” he added.
In response, the French Football Federation (FFF) has decided to lodge a complaint with FIFA, asserting that the video included a “racist and discriminatory” chant.
“Given the severity of these shocking remarks, which go against the values of sport and human rights, the president of the FFF has decided to directly appeal to his Argentinian counterpart and FIFA, and to file a legal complaint for racially offensive and discriminatory remarks,” stated the FFF.
The offensive chant targeted French players of African descent, holding French citizenship, and originating from several African countries.
“The president of the French Football Federation, Philippe Diallo, condemns in the strongest terms the unacceptable racist and discriminatory remarks made against the players of the France team as part of a song sung by players and supporters of the Argentina team,” the FFF added.
Following the incident, Fernandez appears to be losing support from his Chelsea teammates. One of his fellow Blues stars and France international, Wesley Fofana, commented on the video on social media platform X, writing: “Football in 2024: uninhibited racism.” The comment was accompanied by a clip from the video.
