Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez returned to his former club River Plate on Sunday and was met with a packed stadium singing a racist song aimed at the France national team.
Fernandez was at Estadio Más Monumental to celebrate Argentina’s recent Copa America victory, donning the River Plate shirt and waving to the crowd.
It was after the Copa America final win over Colombia that the 23-year-old sparked controversy by videoing him and his teammates singing the racist song and posting it online.
Unsurprisingly the brief Instagram live video has been met with anger and outrage, with Fernandez’s Chelsea teammate Wesley Fofana hitting out at the racist nature of the chant.
The song was heard loud and clear in Buenos Aires on Sunday, though, with a huge number of River Plate fans joining in with the chant at half-time of the match against Lanus.
The offensive chant emerged at the 2022 World Cup, where Argentina beat France in the final in Qatar. The song, directed at the French squad, claims ‘they are all from Angola’ while they have ‘Nigerian’ mothers and ‘Cameroonian’ fathers.
There is also a transphobic line to the chant with a reference to a reported relationship between Kylian Mbappe and transgender model Ines Rau.
Fernandez issued an apology on social media for signing the song after the Copa America win, writing on Instagram: ‘I want to apologise sincerely for a video posted on my Instagram channel during the national team celebrations.
‘The song includes highly offensive language and there is absolutely no excuse for these words.
‘I stand against discrimination in all forms and apologise for getting caught up in the euphoria of our Copa America celebrations.
‘That video, that moment, those words, do not reflect my beliefs or my character. I am truly sorry.’
A statement from Chelsea last week read: ‘Chelsea Football Club finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour completely unacceptable. We are proud to be a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome.
‘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.’
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