Sports

FIFA launches probe into Argentina players' racist chants following Copa America win

Chants came during a live video which was shared on social media by Enzo Fernandez

By Web Desk & AFP
July 18, 2024
Argentinian players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Copa America 2024.— Reuters/file
Argentinian players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Copa America 2024.— Reuters/file 

FIFA confirmed on Wednesday that it is opening a probe into racist songs sung by Argentina players after they won Copa America. 

The spokesperson of FIFA said, “FIFA has learnt about a video currently trending online and investigations are underway. ” They went further to note that, “FIFA does not tolerate any form of discrimination by anyone including but not limited to players, fans or officials.

The chants came during a live video which was shared on social media by Enzo Fernandez, a Chelsea and Argentina midfielder while in the team bus following their win against Colombia in Miami on Sunday.

Some of the players, like the 23-year-old Fernandez, are seen in the video singing a chant that goes back as far as the World Cup in November 2022 when Argentina defeated France. The song is aimed at France’s star striker Kylian Mbappe among others, and it has racist and homophobic slurs.

In response, Chelsea opened an internal disciplinary process against Fernandez concerning the matter. Fernandez has since offered an apology, with the club revealing that it had started an ‘internal disciplinary procedure’. 

Chelsea Football Club said: “Chelsea Football Club considers any form of discrimination to be wholly intolerable. We accept and commend the player’s public apology and we shall use this incident as a learning process.”

Fernandez, who joined Chelsea from Benfica for a Premier League record fee of £105 million ($136. 8 million) in 2023, expressed in his apology: This song uses highly defaming words that have no place in society, I do not condone discrimination in any form and I regret letting the energy of our Copa America victory cloud my judgment.

The FFF expressed its concern to FIFA about the chants on Monday. FFF president Philippe Diallo “deplored with the utmost clarity the inconceivable racist and discriminative words uttered against players of the France team. ” France had qualified past Argentina in the round of 16 in the 2018 World Cup.