Chelsea’s pre-season plans are reportedly in ‘total meltdown’ as a section of the dressing room is understood to have turned against Enzo Fernandez.
The midfielder has been embroiled in a racism storm after streaming on his Instagram account footage of himself and some of his Argentina teammates singing an offensive song about the France team which referenced their heritage.
The footage sent shockwaves through Stamford Bridge, with Wesley Fofana describing the clip as ‘unhibited racism’ and other players are said to have unfollowed their teammate on social media.
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Fernandez has since apologised for his actions, but The Sun report that the incident has ‘rocked harmony within the camp’. Up to 10 players have been left angry with the No. 8, despite Nicolas Jackson’s desire to act as a peacemaker by publicly supporting Fernandez online.
Chelsea have a sizeable French contingent in their dressing room made up of Malo Gusto, Christopher Nkunku, Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Malang Sarr, Lesley Ugochunkwu and Fofana.
There are also a further three non-French players who are said to be ‘equally upset’ with Fernandez’s actions.
The ex-Benfica star filmed himself and other members of the Argentina team singing about Les Bleus as they travelled back to their hotel after winning the Copa America final on Monday, beating Colombia 1-0 after extra time.
The offensive song had lyrics that claimed many players who represent France have French passports but were born or descended from African countries. The chant also made transphobic references towards Kylian Mbappe, who captains the French national team.
Chelsea and FIFA are both investigating the matter and it remains to be seen whether any action is taken against Fernandez, who recently insisted that the song ‘did not reflect’ his true beliefs in a public apology released on Tuesday.
The playmaker wrote on Instagram to his 11million followers: “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."
