Wesley Fofana 'happy' with return of Enzo Fernandez, insists Chelsea teammate 'not racist' after video controversy
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Published 31/07/2024 at 19:56 GMT+1
Wesley Fofana and Enzo Fernandez have made amends after the Argentinian was involved in a racism scandal this summer. The defender has deleted his post on X, calling the video in which Fernandez and his Argentina teammates sing a derogatory chant aimed at the French "uninhibited racism". Fofana has now insisted Fernandez is "not racist".
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Wesley Fofana is “happy” Chelsea teammate Enzo Fernandez has rejoined the squad, insisting that the Argentina international is “not racist”.
The French defender had previously called the video Fernandez streamed on social media, in which Argentina’s players are seen singing an offensive chant, “uninhibited racism”. Fofana has since deleted the X post.
But after frank discussions with each other this week when Fernandez linked up with Chelsea’s pre-season training in Atlanta, Fofana has forgiven the 23-year-old.
“You see Enzo is back and I’m happy,” said Fofana. “We talked together. I explained why I didn’t like the video. He explained.
“He said sorry because he did not want to hurt French fans or anyone. He did not understand when singing it.
“And I trust him because I know him. I know Enzo. He is not racist. The act… I felt a little bit upset. But now, it is done. It is finished. It is just the video is bad. It’s not only Enzo. It’s the Argentinian team.
“But now it is done, it’s good. I'm happy with this situation because he understands me, I understand him, he said sorry, I trust him, and that is the most important thing.
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“Enzo is a big player in Argentina. I hope this has educated him a bit, because for sure it is a different culture.”
And with regards to his now-deleted post on X, Fofana was keen to stress the importance of team unity ahead of the new season.
“Of course [I deleted my post] because we talked together, we play for the same club and badge and train together,” said Fofana.
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“I posted this because I felt upset about the video. Enzo is in the video but if he was from another country, I would have posted the same thing. For sure, it was a big story because we play in the same team.”
Chelsea opened an internal disciplinary procedure against Fernandez, who pledged to make a donation to an anti-discrimination charity.
The club’s foundation offered to match the contribution, but took no further action, with Fofana stating that education was more crucial than financial punishment in this case.
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Enzo Fernandez of Argentina celebrates with the trophy after the team's victory during the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 Final match between Argentina and Colombia at Hard Rock Stadium on July 15, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Image credit: Getty Images
“I don’t care about the money,” said Fofana. “I don’t want Enzo to lose money. The donation is good but the most important thing is not to repeat the act and that we educate everybody.
“He is an example because Enzo is a big player, a big star. He understands that and I’m happy like this.
“I don’t think a big sanction for Enzo is a good process. We need to educate about this because cultures are different, a lot of countries.
“We don’t have the same education, for good or bad. But we need to educate everybody if we don’t want a repeat.”
Meanwhile, manager Enzo Maresca reported that squad harmony remained high despite the incident, saying that “everything was like before”.
“We all feel very comfortable and good," Maresca said. "Enzo Fernandez is back. He had a chat with us and he just clarified that there was not any bad intention.
“The meeting was between me, Enzo and some of the other players. Wes [Fofana] was there, to clarify the situation.
“There is no mystery behind it - we all make mistakes and sometimes have to apologise. Enzo apologised four or five times. The lads already accepted it.“
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