Enzo Fernandez will most likely face a very awkward return to Chelsea for pre-season after he was involved in some racist chanting.
The midfielder sparked fury after posting a video of himself and his Argentina teammates appearing to sing a discriminatory chant.
The footage – which followed Argentina’s Copa America win over Colombia – was quickly slammed by many of Fernandez’s Blues French teammates.
The song references how many French players have African heritage and was described by Wesley Fofana as ‘uninhibited racism.’
The defender unfollowed Fernandez on Instagram, with Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashille, Malo Gusto, Lesley Ugochukwu, Christopher Nkunku and Malang Sarr quickly doing the same.
Fernandez has since apologised for the video and Chelsea reacted with a statement confirming an internal disciplinary procedure.
When will Fernandez return to Chelsea?
The 23-year-old is currently on holiday and a decision is yet to be made on when he will report for pre-season.
The earliest date that Fernandez could be back among his Blues teammates is the evening of Monday, July 29.
FIFPro guidelines suggest players should have three weeks rest after an international tournament although this is not mandatory and stars can choose to return to domestic training after two.
Should Fernandez take the full three weeks off, he will miss four of Chelsea’s five games during the club’s tour of the United States.
Chelsea’s pre-season fixtures
Thursday, July 25 – Chelsea vs Wrexham (in the USA) – WILL MISS
Saturday, July 27 – Chelsea vs Celtic (in the USA) WILL MISS
Thursday, August 1 – Chelsea vs Club America (in the USA) COULD RETURN
Saturday, August 3 – Chelsea vs Man City (in the USA)
Wednesday, August 7 – Chelsea vs Real Madrid (in the USA) LIKELY RETURN
Sunday, August 11 – Chelsea vs Inter Milan (Stamford Bridge)
That would leave Enzo Maresca with the decision to make over whether the midfielder heads to America for their final match.
Alternatively, Fernandez could be left to train with those left out of the tour at Cobham, with Marc Cucurella, and England duo Cole Palmer and Conor Gallagher the other three Chelsea players that featured in international tournament finals.
In this scenario, his only chance to play a pre-season friendly would come against Inter Milan on August 11 – just seven days before the club’s Premier League opener.
If Fernandez does return after just two weeks off, he’ll be available for three games in the States and that Nerazzurri clash.
Whenever Fernandez does report back, you would expect Chelsea to have completed their investigation into the incident.
In a statement, the Blues said: “Chelsea Football Club finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour completely unacceptable. We are proud to be a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome.
“We acknowledge and appreciate our player’s public apology and will use this as an opportunity to educate.
“The club has instigated an internal disciplinary procedure.”
On Instagram, he said: “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.”
It remains to be seen what course of action Chelsea take with Fernandez, but Darren Bent feels he should be more worried about his teammates.
The ex-Tottenham man explained that the Argentine has damaged some relationships beyond repair.
Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: “It’s not a good look for Enzo Fernandez at all, it’s really not.
“Before Wesley Fofana put that post on social media, I hope they [Chelsea teammates] would have contacted him first and asked the question of ‘what are you playing at?’
“But they’ll never look at him the same ever again regardless of whether he puts out the sorrys and says I should never have done this.
“Even if he stands there in front of his Chelsea teammates and says, ‘I’m deeply sorry for what I’ve done’, they’ll never ever look at him the same.
“In the moment, he’s the one hosting the video. It’s quite clear that this is not his first time singing this song and it’s not their [Argentina squad] first time singing this song because they’re all happy, all singing and they’re all joyful because they’ve just won the Copa America.
“But at the same time, in that relaxed environment and it comes out as easy as it did, his teammates will never trust him the same way.”
News Summary:
- When will Enzo Fernandez return to Chelsea? Argentine faces awkward pre-season reunion after racist chanting storm
- Check all news and articles from the latest Football updates.