Ex-England striker Carlton Cole has branded Lionel Messi ‘selfish’ and says his silence on the Argentina racism row suggests he ‘does not care’ about the issue.
Enzo Fernandez faces disciplinary action from Chelsea and FIFA after posting a video on social media that the French Football Federation said included ‘racist and discriminatory’ language.
The £107m midfielder was filming some of his Argentina team-mates celebrating their Copa America final win over Colombia on a team bus when a chant was sung about France’s black and mixed-race players.
Fernandez said he was ‘truly sorry’ for the video after Chelsea team-mate and France international Wesley Fofana described it as ‘uninhibited racism’.
‘The song includes highly offensive language and there is absolutely no excuse for these words,’ Fernandez said.
‘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.’
Argentina captain Messi was not on the bus at the time of the chanting but former Premier League star Cole believes in staying silent on the issue he has acted ‘selfishly’.
‘We’ve got to look at Messi and you say, you know what, Messi come out,’ the ex-Chelsea and West Ham striker told talkSPORT. ‘We need to hear you. I need you to come out.
‘You’ve got to speak up about this. Because this is more than just Enzo. Messi is the main guy there. He’s the captain. He needs to come out and say something about this behaviour.
‘Otherwise, it’s just like he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care how I feel, he doesn’t care how some of his black teammates he’s had in the past feel.
‘That just shows me that he’s selfish. He needs to come out and say something. I condemn him. That’s it, simple. I condemn Messi.’
South American football correspondent Tim Vickery added: ‘That’s the job as a captain, isn’t it?
‘If you’re the captain, you’ve got to lead. If there was ever a need for leadership it’s right here, right now, with Argentina.
‘So the ball’s in his court, there’s been nothing so far, and that’s bad. Please, please step up Messi. The world is looking at you to do that.’
Enzo Fernandez will ‘never be forgiven’ for racist chant
While Fernandez has apologised for his part in the racism row, ex-Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino believes he will never be forgiven by some team-mates and must therefore be sold.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: ‘It’s going to be tricky. I look back at when I was at Chelsea in the 90s and I’m not sure that dressing room would be okay with what Enzo Fernandez did.
‘That’s a tricky one to handle. I think Chelsea have got a major decision on whether they actually keep Enzo Fernandez.
‘Having players not happy with a guy in the dressing room, I’m not sure there will be many that comfortable with some of the things that have gone on.
‘There’s no excuse for that to go out. It’s not going to sit well with the other players is it?
‘I don’t know how you can handle it because there will be players who can’t forgive. There might be some who can move on despite not liking what happened.
‘You don’t need everyone to like each other at a club but this is a really, really tricky one. Some players won’t want to move on or make it work.
‘He’s going to have to apologise to the squad face-to-face as well and maybe then there will be a bit more forgiveness.’
What was the chant?
‘Listen, spread the word;
They play in France, but they are all from Angola;
How nice it is! They are going to run;
They are ‘cometravas’* like f***ing Mbappé;
Their mom is Nigerian;
Their dad, Cameroonian.
But in the document …Nationality: French.’
*’Cometravas’ is a slang term that loosely translates to somebody who has sex with transgender people.
Liverpool star defends Enzo Fernandez
But Fernandez has received support from several Argentina team-mates, including Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister.
‘You have to be careful with what you say or do, especially in Europe where they are much more sensitive than here,’ he said.
‘The reality is that we are not a racist country, we are not used to talking about racism so much. Yes, it’s a very important topic, obviously.
‘Enzo has already apologised and explained what happened. I don’t think there’s much more to say.
‘We know Enzo, we know he would never do it with bad intentions, he’s not that guy, he’s not racist. It’s just a chant that got stuck and is more of a mocking tone than anything else.
‘But, as I said, you have to be very careful. I think the most important thing is that Enzo came out, gave the corresponding apologies, and that, in the end, should be valued.’
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