Chelsea opts not to punish Fernandez due to charity donation

Chelsea has decided not to punish Enzo Fernandez for his part in Argentina’s racist celebrations at Copa America 2024. The midfielder recently recorded himself and his teammates singing a racist song following their triumph at the tournament. The song was directed towards players on the France national team. French soccer officials condemned the video and filed a complaint to FIFA.

Fernandez and his Argentine teammates faced immediate backlash due to the incident. Among those taking issue with the song was Wesley Fofana. The defender, who is French and Black, labeled the actions by the Argentina players as “uninhibited racism” in a social media post. Fofana is also Fernandez’s teammate at Chelsea.

The midfielder issued a somewhat bizarre apology on his own social media accounts. In the post, Fernandez stated that Argentina essentially got “caught up in the euphoria” of the Copa America celebrations. He also claimed that singing the racist song did not reflect his “belief or character.”

Fernandez pledges to donate to anti-discrimination charity

After the video circulated various news outlets, Chelsea claimed that they would launch an investigation into the matter. This inquiry, however, has not resulted in an official penalty for Fernandez. According to The Guardian, the Argentine midfielder essentially escaped a penalty after apologizing to his teammates once again and making a donation to an anti-discrimination charity.

Fernandez joined up with his Chelsea teammates on Monday after getting time off following Copa America 2024. The Blues are currently touring the United States as part of their preseason preparations.

Along with the incident involving Fernandez, Chelsea’s American summer tour has not exactly gone as planned. The west London side needed a late goal to rescue a draw against Wrexham on July 24. They were then thumped by Celtic 4-1 three days later in Indiana. Chelsea next faces Club America in Atlanta on…

Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/chelsea-opts-not-to-punish-fernandez-due-to-charity-donation/

Author : Chris Moore

Publish date : 2024-07-30 17:17:10

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