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Enzo Fernández apologises over racist chants

sportsJul 19, 2026823,723

Enzo Fernández apologised to his Chelsea teammates after a video showed him chanting racist and homophobic slurs about members of the France team. The midfielder, signed from Benfica for a British record fee of £106.8m in January 2023, posted the clip on Instagram and later said it did not "reflect my beliefs or my character." Chelsea said it had "instigated an internal disciplinary procedure" and will use the episode to educate; Fernández is expected to be fined and sent on a racism education course. Wesley Fofana, who won his first senior cap for France last year, criticised the "uninhibited racism" in the video, and several Chelsea players have unfollowed Fernández on Instagram. A message from Fernández was distributed to Chelsea's first-team squad on Wednesday containing a further apology. FIFA is investigating after the French Football Federation said it would file a legal complaint. Fernández is not due to return for pre-season training for another fortnight, leaving new manager Enzo Maresca to decide how to reintegrate the 23-year-old into the squad.

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