Enzo Fernandez, a midfield player for Chelsea, has been subject to disciplinary action by the French Football Federation following the release of a video on social media that he said featured a “racist and discriminatory” chant.
The FFF announced on Tuesday that it will lodge a protest with FIFA, the international regulatory body, about the video that featured a song performed by several of the Argentina team against the black players in France.
Wesley Fofana, Fernandez’s teammate at Chelsea and a French cap winner, shared a picture of the video on Instagram with the caption “uninhibited racism”.
As Argentina celebrated winning the Copa America, Fernandez—a £107 million British record signing in February 2023—posted a video on social media apologizing for what he had done.
Fifa is also looking into the video, which has a number of Argentina players singing along to a song that was originally performed by Argentina supporters and questions the ancestry of the black and mixed-race players in France.
Ten members of Chelsea’s first team roster, including Fofana, Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile, Christopher Nkunku, Malo Gusto, and Malang Sarr, are black or of mixed race.
“The song includes highly offensive language and there is absolutely no excuse for these words,” Fernandez stated.
“I stand against discrimination in all forms and apologise for getting caught up in the euphoria of our Copa America celebrations.
“That video, that moments, those words, do not reflect my beliefs or my character.”
A Chelsea statement read: “We acknowledge and appreciate our player’s public apology and will use this as an opportunity to educate.
“The club has instigated an internal disciplinary procedure.”
The FFF will contact the Argentine Football Association (AFA) about the live video posted on social media by Fernandez after Argentina beat Colombia 1-0 in the Copa America final on Sunday.
A statement from the FFF, external said president Philippe Diallo “condemns in the strongest terms the unacceptable and discriminatory remarks that were made against the players of the French team”.
It added: “Faced with the seriousness of these shocking remarks, contrary to the values of sport and human rights, the president of the FFF decided to directly appeal to his Argentine counterpart and Fifa and to file a legal complaint for racially offensive and discriminatory remarks.”
The Argentine FA has been approached for comment.
France beat Argentina in the last 16 of the 2018 World Cup, and Argentina beat France in the final of the 2022 World Cup.
A Fifa spokesperson said they were “aware of a video circulating on social media” and “the incident is being looked into”.
They added: “Fifa strongly condemns any form of discrimination by anyone including players, fans and officials.”
Chelsea said they find “all forms of discriminatory behaviour completely unacceptable”.
They added: “We are proud to be a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome.”
‘These acts have no place in football’
Fernandez’s Chelsea team-mate David Datro Fofana urged action by everyone in football in the “fight” against racism.
“The football that I like is multi-ethnic,” posted the Ivorian forward on Instagram.
“Racism in all its forms should be condemned in the strongest possible terms. These acts have no place in football or even anywhere else.
“This fight really needs to be taken seriously be everyone in this sport.”
Fofana is currently training with Chelsea after his loan spell with Burnley last season, while fellow Blues striker Nicolas Jackson has also published a post on Instagram in support of Fernandez.
Jackson’s post showed the Argentina midfielder playing with a young black child during the club’s pre-season US tour last year.
Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out, meanwhile, said the video is “unacceptable”.
“We stand with and show our full support to Wesley Fofana after he responded publicly and brought it to wider attention,” it added.
“Several players are seen singing the song, which means there will be a wider impact on team-mates and fans at other clubs.
“We call upon all relevant clubs, the Argentina federation and Fifa to address this concerning issue with empathy, sensitivity and understanding.
“Responses to these incidents cannot start and end with an apology. More important is the action taken afterwards to ensure players are educated and held accountable, both in England and on a global scale.”
Those comments were echoed by fellow anti-discrimination organisation Show Racism the Red Card, which said “words are not enough”.
“The racism by the Argentina players is abhorrent, disgraceful and, to record it on social media, it’s unbelievable to think it was amusing or even they would get away with it,” said chief executive Ged Grebby.
“It’s great that they haven’t, but we want to see more than simply players apologizing. That is insufficient.
“The damage is already done. Not just to black Premier League players, but also to black individuals in our community.
“We encourage Chelsea to get in touch with Show Racism the Red Card and arrange for this player to visit our schools in order to collaborate with us, since words alone will not enough when it comes to anti-racism teaching.
It would have a profound effect. Instead of prohibiting this player from participating in any number of games, let’s engage him in Show Racism the Red Card, a constructive anti-racism campaign.”