Enzo Fernandez has now joined Chelsea FC’s preseason tour of the USA, but there was something he had to do before coming on to the pitch. Enzo apologized to his teammates for his singing along with Argentina teammates on a racist and homophobic chant at the Copa America. The 23-year-old midfielder will reportedly make a donation to an anti-discrimination charity as well.
Fernandez still faces disciplinary action from Chelsea after he posted a social media video of him and his national teammates celebrating their cup triumph with the offensive chant/song.
Manchester City vs Chelsea FC FYIs
Kick off: 5:30 pm ET, Sat. Aug 3, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Competition: club friendly, branded the “FC Series”
TV: ESPN
Team News: Chelsea Man City
Starting XI Predictions: Chelsea Man City
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
The song was directed at the France national team, and the video went viral, for all the wrong reasons. Fernandez’s teammate, Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana, called his behavior “uninhibited racism” in his post on social media. Enzo Fernandez went on to make his preseason debut, at halftime, of the Blues 3-0 win over Club America in Atlanta.
It was the first win of the Enzo Maresca era at Chelsea, so we’re talking about guys named Enzo quite a bit here.
The Blues came out of that match unscathed from injury, so we have no new team news to discuss right now.
There is some major transfer talk going on though!
Chelsea have accepted an offer of 34 million GBP from Atletico Madrid for Conor Gallagher, who must now decide whether he wants to stay or go. Gallagher has been linked with a move away all summer long, but now something concrete has finally happened.
Chelsea prefer to sell him abroad, and not to a Premier League rival. Understandably so. Oh, and he won’t be featuring in this match, by the way.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.