Morning has broken in the USA, which means we’re just hours away from one of the most awkward reunions in recent Chelsea history. Enzo Fernandez is due to join up with the squad today after a short holiday following Argentina’s Copa America success.
The celebrations following their winning of the cup spawned one of the more controversial moments of the summer. Fernandez streamed live from the team bus as he and his teammates sang a racist song about France, the team they beat in the 2022 World Cup final.
Enzo has been on holiday ever since, but it didn’t take long for shockwaves to hit the Chelsea dressing room. The song took aim at French players or African descent, of which there are several at Chelsea. One of them – Wesley Fofana – immediately and publicly responded to the video, calling it “uninhibited racism”.
D-Day for awkward reunion
Enzo has apologised, but as the Athletic point out today, “there are no signs his 6 French team mates have accepted the 23 year old’s expression of remorse.” All of them – as well as Belgian Romeo Lavia – unfollowed Enzo on social media.
Today is the peak of the awkwardness, when Enzo will have to come and make his apologies in person. If the French players decide not to accept his contrition, things could really become nightmarish for new manager Enzo Maresca, who tried to play down the incident when asked about it in his first press conference as Chelsea boss.
We remain confident that all involved will likely want to move on to some degree – but it also seems impossible to remove the stain of resentment which has likely already set in. We expect some serious PR work from the club in the coming weeks to show that progress is being made rehabilitating Enzo’s relationships with his colleagues.
