Chelsea Football Club Speaks Out After Player Enzo Fernández Faces Backlash Over Racist Chant Video

The Chelsea Football Club is speaking out on a player's Copa América controversy. 

After Enzo Fernández faced backlash for sharing a video of him singing a racist chant with his Argentina teammates, his Premier League team responded by condemning discrimination.

"Chelsea Football Club finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour completely unacceptable," read the July 17 statement shared to the club's official website. "We are proud to be a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome."

The team went on to acknowledge Enzo's apology, which arrived a day before their message, before sharing that they plan to use the moment as "an opportunity to educate."

Closing out the note, the Chelsea Football Club added, "The Club has instigated an internal disciplinary procedure."  

The video—posted to Enzo's Instagram on July 14—showed him and other Argentina players—who had just won over Colombia at Copa América—singing offensive chants that singled out France's players of African heritage. 

Shortly after, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced plans to file a legal complaint over the "racist and discriminatory remarks" made by the midfielder and his teammates. FIFA also spoke out on the clip, explaining that it was "aware of a video circulating on social media."

"The incident is being looked into," the governing body said in a July 17 statement, per ESPN. "FIFA strongly condemns any form of discrimination by anyone including players, fans and officials."

As for Enzo, he's since issued an apology over the video, saying, "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," the 23-year-old continued in message shared to his Instagram Story July 16. "That video, that moment, those words, do not reflect my beliefs or my character."

Enzo added, "I am truly sorry."

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