Former Premier League striker Darren Bent believes that Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has irreparably damaged his relationship with his teammates. Fernandez was filmed singing a controversial song that appeared to contain racist slurs during Argentina’s Copa America celebrations.
The video sparked outrage among Fernandez’s French teammates, including Wesley Fofana, Malo Gusto, and Axel Disasi, who all unfollowed him on social media. Fofana even publicly condemned the behavior, labeling it “uninhibited racism.”
Darren Bent believes that Enzo Fernandez has broken the relationship with his Chelsea team-mates beyond repair
Despite Fernandez’s public apology, Bent thinks that his teammates will never look at him the same way again. “I hope they would have contacted him first and asked the question of ‘what are you playing at?’ Bent said. “But they’ll never look at him the same ever again, regardless of whether he puts out the sorries and says I should never have done this.”
Bent also revealed that he had received racist abuse himself after critiquing Fernandez’s performance last season, highlighting the severity of the issue.
Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana (middle), who also plays for France, vented his disgust at the video. He is one of three Blues players to unfollow Fernandez on Instagram
Fernandez’s teammates, including David Datro Fofana, have spoken out against racism in football, with Fofana stating that “these acts have no place in football or even anywhere else.” Chelsea also released a statement condemning all forms of discriminatory behavior.
FIFA has announced that it is investigating the incident, and Bent believes that Chelsea has a big decision to make about how to address the issue. “I don’t think he can just coast back into the dressing room and I genuinely believe that Chelsea have got a big decision to make here because this is going to affect them going forward.”