New Delhi: The 2024 Copa America winners Argentina were seen celebrating inside the team bus by chanting ‘offensive’ and ‘derogatory’ chants directed towards the 2022 World Cup finalists France.
The video went viral after Enzo Fernandez go live on Instagram to share the celebrations with fans. Following the video went viral, reports flooded in of Chelsea teammates getting offended by the post with French international Wesley Fofana’s name coming into light. Fernandez has since apologised for his actions.
“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,” Fernandez posted on his Instagram story.
The highly insulting chant had previously surfaced after their win over France in the World Cup. The chant insinuates that most of the players on the French team are of African descent and should not be playing for Les Blues.
‘They play for France, but they are from Angola. His mother is Nigerian, his father is Cameroonian. But on the passport: French.’
According to a report by Daily Mail, Chelsea have begun internal investigations into the matter and ‘treating the matter seriously and will handle it accordingly.’
Although the Argentina Football Association is yet to make a statement on the matter. The French Football Federation released a statement confirming their intentions to ‘file a lawsuit for abusive remarks of racial and derogatory nature.’
–IANS