FIFA to investigate Argentina's racist chant towards France

FIFA made official on Wednesday morning the start of a exhaustive investigation into the racist chant by Argentina national team players against the French team, in the midst of the albiceleste’s celebrations on the bus after having managed to win the 2024 Copa América against the Colombian national team, a duel that ended with a score of 1 goal to 0.

The case also had repercussions at Premier League side Chelsea. England, the club where Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernández plays, has been subject to disciplinary proceedings after recording and broadcasting live on his official Instagram account the moment that caused so much commotion and indignation on social media.

FIFA has expressed its opinion on the matter

“FIFA has been made aware of a video circulating on social media, and the “The incident is the subject of an investigation,” the world football governing body said in a statement. “FIFA firmly condemns all forms of discrimination, regardless of where it comes from, including against players, fans and those responsible,” it said, which was appealed to by the French Football Federation (FFF) on Tuesday.

Since last Monday night it has gone completely viral on the networks social and media, an audiovisual material in which several players of the Argentine national team appear, in the bus that was transporting them after having been crowned champions of America against Colombia, where they began a racist and homophobic chant against the players of the French national team and specifically against Kylian Mbappé, before cutting off the transmission.

The full version of the song had been sung by Argentine fans in a live television broadcast during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, in which La Albiceleste beat France on penalties.

Phrases such as “they play in France, but they are all from Angola” are sung in it, and It is said of Kylian Mbappé that “his old lady is Nigerian” (although in reality she is French-Algerian), “his old man is Cameroonian, but his nationality is French”. When it was broadcast live on Argentine television, the reporter decided to cut it off when he realised the content of the song: “No, no. Censored”, said the journalist, annoyed, walking away from the group of fans.

At that time the French Football Federation filed a complaint for racist statements on social media, as well as SOS Racismo. On Tuesday, the FFF revealed that it was taking the new case of racism to FIFA and that it was filing a complaint with the courts “for offensive words of a racial and discriminatory nature”.

French players and Enzo Fernandez’s teammates at Chelsea Fernández’s teammate at Chelsea, French defender Wesley Fofana, reposted the video on his official X account (formerly Twitter) with the following comment: “football in 2024: unabashed racism.”

“Regrettable,” the defender added on social media Frenchman of FC Barcelona Jules Koundé.

Enzo Fernández’s apology on his social networks

“The song includes very offensive language and there is absolutely no “I have no excuse for these words,” he admitted. “I am against discrimination in all its forms and I apologize for having been carried away by the euphoria of the Copa America celebrations. That video, that moment, those words do not reflect my convictions or my character,” the Argentine midfielder posted.

His club, Chelsea, issued a statement saying it “recognises and appreciates the footballer’s “public apologies”, but also announced that he had launched an internal disciplinary procedure.

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