Enzo Maresca addresses Enzo Fernandez racist chant controversy; insists team spirit intact
Chelsea’s manager, Enzo Maresca, has finally addressed the controversy surrounding Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez. Some players from the West London club reacted strongly to the Argentine’s behaviour, unfollowing him on social media. However, Maresca believes that team spirit will not be affected by this issue, according to Give Me Sport.
Argentina recently secured their historic 16th Copa America title by defeating Colombia in extra time in Miami. Chelsea’s star midfielder Fernandez played for 97 minutes in the final and had an impressive campaign under Lionel Scaloni. During the victory celebrations on the team bus, some Argentine players mocked Afro-French players in a song, implying that despite holding French passports, they are not truly French due to their parents’ origins in countries like Angola, Cameroon, and Nigeria.
The 23-year-old Fernandez shared the victory celebration on social media, and the video quickly went viral, drawing widespread criticism from football pundits and players. Chelsea’s French players Axel Disasi and Wesley Fofana, among others, reacted strongly by unfollowing Fernandez on social media.
Despite the backlash, some players, including clubmate Nicolas Jackson, supported Fernandez. The Senegalese striker showed solidarity by sharing a picture of himself with Fernandez in Chelsea training gear, though the post was later deleted. Chelsea feared potential discord in the dressing room and initiated an internal inquiry into the midfielder’s actions.
In his first public press conference in the USA, Maresca downplayed the incident, stating there were “no bad intentions” behind Fernandez’s actions (h/t Give me Sport)
“I don’t think there are any bad intentions behind [it] so starting from that point, for me it is quite easy. The player already did a statement apologising. The club did the same so there are not many things to add but the only thing I can say from my point of view that I can add that they are all young with good intentions. Good guy, good person, good human being. There was not any bad intention.”
Fernandez has apologized for the incident on Instagram, but the controversy continues to affect him and his national teammates. The Argentina national team was booed during their first Olympic match against Morocco in Paris.
Despite initial concerns about team rapport, Maresca has assured that the incident has not impacted the club’s unity.
“I don’t think so to be honest. Probably it is the immediate reaction.But all in all, I don’t think so. I spoke with Enzo but as I said, I spoke with all of them. The situation is quite clear. He did already a statement apologising, the club did the same so.”
Chelsea is currently playing their pre-season friendlies in the USA, and Fernandez will join the squad next week to begin his pre-season preparations. Maresca plans to use the World Cup winner as a key player in the midfield for the upcoming season.
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