Chelsea have condemned all discriminatory behaviour and have initiated internal disciplinary proceedings following Argentina's derogatory song about French players, the club said in a statement.
The French Football Federation (FFF) announced on Tuesday that it will file a legal complaint over “racist and discriminatory comments” made by Chelsea player Enzo Fernandez and his Argentina teammates about the France national team after Sunday's Copa America victory over Colombia.
“Chelsea Football Club considers any form of discriminatory behaviour to be totally unacceptable,” the club said in a statement released on Wednesday.
“We are proud to be a diverse and inclusive club where people of all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome.”
Following Argentina's 1-0 victory over Colombia in the final, Fernandez posted a video on Instagram that was widely viewed on X. The video showed the Argentine players singing offensive chants that singled out French players of African descent.
The same chants, by some Argentine fans, arose before France and Argentina met in the 2022 World Cup final, which Argentina won.
Fernandez issued an apology statement on Instagram admitting that the song “includes highly offensive language,” but added that “those words do not reflect my beliefs or my character.”
“I oppose all forms of discrimination and I apologize for having been carried away by the euphoria of our Copa America celebrations.”
French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra is calling on FIFA to take action. Responding to an article in L'Equipe about the derogatory chants, she wrote on X: “Pathetic. Behaviour that is even more unacceptable if repeated. @FIFAcom: a reaction?”
FIFA did not confirm on Tuesday whether the French complaint had been filed.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said football and its 211 national federations must have a zero-tolerance attitude towards racism and in May pledged to relaunch a task force to monitor incidents.
