Yahoo Sports River Plate fans sing racist chant about France team to Enzo Fernández
River Plate fans were heard repeating the racist and transphobic chant about the France team to Enzo Fernández (23) as the Chelsea player was being honoured by the Argentine club for his part in the nation’s victory in the 2024 Copa América.
https://twitter.com/Ayochukwu6/status/1815282635192619504
Fernández and the Argentine national team have received widespread criticism after a livestream recorded by Fernández showed the squad singing the chant during their title celebrations.
The French Football Federation has referred the video to FIFA, while Fernández’s Chelsea teammate Wesley Fofana (23) called the song “uninhibited racism.” Chelsea have opened an investigation into the video and are reportedly treating the incident very seriously.
A few days after the video was released, Fernández issued a statement on the matter, “I want to apologise sincerely for a video posted on my Instagram during the national team celebrations. The song includes highly offensive language and there is absolutely no excuse for the words.”
He continued, “I stand against all discrimination in all forms and apologise for getting caught up in the euphoria of our Copa América celebrations. That video, that moment, those words, do not reflect my beliefs or character. I am truly sorry.”
Despite this, some in Argentina have not seen the incident in the same light. The vice president of the South American nation, Victoria Villarruel, wrote a tweet expressing that the players had done nothing wrong because “no colonialist country will intimidate us for a song or for telling the truths they don’t want to admit.”
