Will Chelsea now suspend a player after he admitted “inexcusable” racist behaviour?

Interesting to see what Chelsea will do now.

Star midfielder Enzo Fernandez has admitted that there is “absolutely no excuse” for his racist behaviour.

Wesley Fofana spoke of “unbridled racism” from his Chelsea teammate and other Argentine players.

Chelsea itself has announced disciplinary proceedings against Enzo Fernandez.

Given that the player himself has admitted to his racist behaviour, which he could hardly deny as it was filmed and shared on social media, Chelsea will surely have no choice but to ban Enzo Fernandez for a certain number of games at the start of the season, as a bare minimum. Otherwise, what kind of message does it send if they merely impose a token fine on him?

BBC Sport report on Chelsea and Enzo Fernandez – July 17, 2024:

Chelsea have initiated disciplinary proceedings against midfielder Enzo Fernandez after he posted a video on social media that contained an allegedly “racist and discriminatory” chant, according to the French Football Federation.

On Tuesday, the FFF announced that it would file a complaint with FIFA, the world football association, over the video, which shows a song about the French players sung by some members of the Argentine national team.

Fernandez’s Chelsea teammate Wesley Fofana, who has played one international match for France, posted a picture of the video on Instagram and described it as “unbridled racism”.

Fernandez said he was “really sorry” for the video he posted as Argentina celebrated their Copa America victory.

“The song contains highly offensive language and there is absolutely no excuse for those words,” he said.

“I am against discrimination in any form and I apologize for getting carried away by the euphoria of our Copa America celebrations.

“This video, these moments, these words do not reflect my beliefs or my character.”

A statement from Chelsea said: “We acknowledge and appreciate our player’s public apology and will use this as an opportunity to educate him.”

“The club has initiated internal disciplinary proceedings.”

The FFF will contact the Argentine Football Association (AFA) over the live video posted by Fernandez on social media after Argentina beat Colombia 1-0 in the Copa America final on Sunday.

In a statement, the FFF said President Philippe Diallo “strongly condemns the unacceptable and discriminatory comments made against the players of the French team.”