Despite persistent disciplinary issues regarding racism, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is confident midfielder Enzo Fernandez will fit right in with the team when he arrives for the US preseason trip.
Following Argentina’s Copa America victory, Fernandez, 23, came under fire from the French Football Federation for allegedly singing a “racist and discriminatory” song.
According to reports, the song questioned the black and mixed-race athletes’ ancestry in France.
Wesley Fofana, a teammate at Chelsea, posted a picture of the video on Instagram and denounced it as “uninhibited racism.”
Following the initiation of an investigation by FIFA, Fernandez has apologized.
Maresca, who took over as Chelsea’s manager in May, brushed down the controversy’s possible effects.
“The player can easily issue an apology statement by making a statement. I don’t think there is much more to say about the subject because the club took the same action. It is already understood and made apparent,” Maresca said.
“I don’t think there are any problems at all,” he said. Every one of them is a human. None of them appear to have malicious intent, in my opinion. Nothing else needs to be said because Enzo made everything clear and the club remains the same.
When previewing the team’s next game in Santa Clara against Wrexham, Chelsea captain Reece James joined Maresca and stated that he was prepared to handle any possible problems that might come up.
James said, “It’s a tough situation, and Enzo has admitted he was wrong and promptly raised his hand to apologize to the club, team, and people offended.”
Although Fernandez hasn’t arrived yet, James stated that he expects to address any more worries after Fernandez returns to the team. James continued, “I’ve talked to Enzo and everyone involved, but the conversations have to stay in-house.”
The 2024–2025 Premier League season will begin for Chelsea against Manchester City, the defending champions.
