Chelsea Defender Wesley Fofana Vouches for Teammate Enzo Fernandez, Says He’s Not Racist
Wesley Fofana, the Chelsea defender, has spoken out in support of his teammate Enzo Fernandez, claiming that the Argentine midfielder is not racist. Fofana’s comments come after Fernandez sparked outrage by posting a video of Argentina players singing a discriminatory chant against France.
Fofana explained that Fernandez needed to be educated on why the chant was hurtful, and that the midfielder has since apologized and pledged to make a significant donation to an anti-discrimination charity.
“You see Enzo is back and I’m happy,” Fofana said. “We talked together. I explained why I didn’t like the video. He explained. He said sorry because he did not want to hurt French fans or anyone. He did not understand when singing it.”
Fofana emphasized that education is key in preventing similar incidents in the future. “I don’t think a big sanction for Enzo is a good process. We need to educate about this because cultures are different, a lot of countries. We don’t have the same education, for good or bad. But we need to educate everybody if we don’t want a repeat.”
The French defender also revealed that he had deleted his social media post condemning the video, saying that he and Fernandez had made amends and that the team needed to move forward together.
Fofana’s comments come as Fernandez rejoins the Chelsea squad after a two-week absence. The Argentine midfielder has apologized to his teammates and has pledged to make a sizeable donation to an anti-discrimination charity.
Chelsea has also pledged to match Fernandez’s donation, as the club seeks to move forward from the controversy.
Fofana’s support for Fernandez has been seen as a positive step in healing the rift between the two players and in promoting a culture of respect and understanding within the team.
Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana (left) has claimed his team-mate Enzo Fernandez ‘is not racist’
Fernandez has joined in on pre-season training with Chelsea following the previous racism storm caused by his posting of Argentina players singing a discriminatory chant
