Argentina’s midfielder Enzo Fernandez apologized for a chant, termed racist by many, that he and his teammates directed towards French footballers during their Copa America victory celebrations.
A video surfaced on social media from Fernandez’s Instagram Live, showing the Argentinian team celebrating their 1-0 win over Colombia in the Copa America final (played on July 14th in Miami). The video captured the team singing a song targeting French players.
Fernandez took full responsibility, offering no excuses for the offensive language used in the video. He explained that they were swept up in the celebratory emotions.
“I want to apologise sincerely for a video posted on my Instagram channel during the national team celebrations. The song included highly offensive language and there is absolutely no excuse for these words,” Fernandez wrote on his Instagram story.
“I stand against discrimination in all forms and apologise for getting caught up in the euphoria of our celebrations. That video, that moment, those words, do not reflect my beliefs or my character. I am truly sorry,” he wrote further.
In response, the French Football Federation (FFF) filed a complaint with FIFA, citing the viral video that allegedly contained “racist and discriminatory” chants.
