Chelsea FC is currently investigating a social media video posted by midfielder Enzo Fernandez, which the French Football Federation (FFF) claims contains an alleged “racist and discriminatory” chant. The FFF announced on Tuesday that it plans to file a complaint with FIFA regarding the video, which features a song sung by members of the Argentina squad about French players.
Wesley Fofana, Fernandez’s Chelsea teammate and French international, condemned the video, describing it as “uninhibited racism” in an Instagram post. The FFF also intends to contact the Argentine Football Association (AFA) concerning the live video Fernandez shared as Argentina celebrated their Copa America victory after defeating Colombia 1-0 in the final on Sunday.
FFF President Philippe Diallo strongly denounced the remarks in the video, stating, “I condemn in the strongest terms the unacceptable and discriminatory remarks made against the players of the French team.” The FFF’s statement emphasized the severity of the comments, which it described as contrary to the values of sport and human rights. Consequently, Diallo decided to directly appeal to both his Argentine counterpart and FIFA, while also filing a legal complaint for racially offensive and discriminatory remarks.
The Argentine FA has been approached for comment. This incident follows a history of competitive encounters between France and Argentina, with France eliminating Argentina in the last 16 of the 2018 World Cup and Argentina securing victory against France in the 2022 World Cup final.