Enzo Fernandez responds after sharing clip of Argentina players singing racist France chant

‘I am truly sorry’

Enzo Fernandez has apologised for singing a racist chant with his teammates about the French national side.

On Sunday, Argentina won the Copa America with a 1-0 victory over Colombia in the final. Following the win, Fernandez went live on Instagram where he shared footage of the celebrations on the team bus.

But during the clip, the Chelsea midfielder and some of his teammates started singing a racially-motivated chant about the France team.

First sung by Argentine supporters during the 2022 World Cup, the offensive chant questions the heritage of French players, claiming the families of all France’s players are from Africa.

The chant includes the lyric: “They play for France, but their parents are from Angola. Their mother is from Cameroon, while their father is from Nigeria. But their passport says French.”

The clip has been widely shared and condemned online, including by Fernandez’ Chelsea teammate Wesley Fofana, who labelled it as “uninhibited racism,” and the French Football Federation, who have filed a complaint to Fifa about the video.

Fernandez has since apologised for the video, posting a statement on social media.

In the statement, he said: “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 the FFF said that 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.”

Chelsea are also investigating the video and Fernandez’s conduct, the BBC reports.

Meanwhile, talkSPORT reports that all of the London club’s French players have unfollowed Fernandez on social media.

France and Argentina have developed a strong rivarly in recent years thanks to their clashes at the World Cup.

Les Bleus beat Argentina in the last 16 of the World Cup in 2018, with Argentina then beating France in the final of the 2022 World Cup on penalties.

The 2022 final in particular led to bad blood between the two sides.