'Enzo Fernandez video felt personal, it was an attack on all black players and offended all of us': Former Chelsea star reveals his disappointment, disgust and sadness with Argentine
Enzo Fernandez has been at the centre of a racism controversy after posting a video of an alleged racist chant on social media following Argentina's Copa America win
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Former Chelsea star William Gallas has hit out at Enzo Fernandez after the current Blues midfielder posted a video of an alleged racist chant on social media following Argentina’s Copa America win.
The video that Fernandez posted to his Instagram Stories showed him and his international teammates signing a derogatory song about the French team that contained racist and transphobic lyrics.
The post led to Fernandez’s club teammate Wesley Fofana calling it ‘uninhibited racism’ on social media, while the French Football Federation confirmed they will file a legal complaint and Chelsea confirmed they have begun an "internal disciplinary procedure".
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Now, former Chelsea and France defender Gallas has addressed the comments, saying that he felt them "personally" and urged FIFA and UEFA to take further action.
"To be honest, when I saw the video that Enzo Fernandez posted, it touched me,” Gallas told Gambling Zone. “I played for the French national team, and even though I retired a while ago, I felt it very personally.
“It was like they were singing about me and all the other black players that represent their countries. I can't imagine the reaction of the Chelsea players when they saw that video. I was very angry about it, and I put something on my social media saying that it was unacceptable.
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William Gallas during his Chelsea days
“The Argentina players were singing about the French players, but for me it's not only the French players. It’s offensive to all black players who represent their countries and who play football.
"It would have offended Nico Williams. It would have offended Lamine Yamal. It would have offended the black and mixed-race players that play for England. Racism is never acceptable in football. I have a major problem with what the Argentina players did, and FIFA and UEFA need to do something about it.”
Gallas also condemned Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul’s response to the reaction in which he told people ‘not to add fuel to the fire’ as he defended Fernandez.
Le football en 2024 : racisme décomplexé 🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️🤦🏽♂️ pic.twitter.com/MGkH5wPmNUJuly 16, 2024
“When you hear Rodrigo De Paul’s comments, it’s hard to believe that we are in the year 2024,” Gallas continued. “For him to say that Wesley Fofana should call Enzo Fernandez and discuss what happened rather than express his disgust on social media. It makes me think that these Argentina players don’t really understand how offensive the song is and that they can’t see a problem with it.”
Fernandez is due to link up with Chelsea on their pre-season tour next week, where he will link up with a number of teammates who have unfollowed him on social media. The Blues kicked off their tour with a 2-2 draw against Wrexham on Wednesday.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.
