Argentina international Enzo Fernandez has returned from holiday to join Chelsea in pre-season training in the United States.
A number of authoritative sources have confirmed that the black players in the Chelsea squad accepted Enzo's apology and that an understanding was reached. Chelsea boss Maresca said the Enzo turmoil had turned the page and the conflict within the team had been resolved.
After Argentina won the Copa America final 1-0 Colombia, Enzo went live on the team's bus to celebrate, singing controversial songs against players of African descent in France with several Argentina players.
The lyrics mean: "They play for France, they come from Angola, they run so fast, they socialize with transgender people." Their mother is Nigerian and their father is Cameroonian, but the passport reads: France. ”
The incident caused an uproar after the social media leak, and more than 10 Blues teammates took off Enzo. Chelsea issued an announcement stating that it does not accept any discrimination and launched an internal investigation. FIFA and Premier League officials have also spoken out about the incident, and at one point it was rumoured that Enzo would face a two-year ban and could be purged by the Blues.
On July 30, local time, Chelsea reporter Nizaar Kinsella reported that Enzo arrived in Atlanta, United States, to join the entire Chelsea team. Enzo immediately apologized to several black France players in the Blues and received their approval.
Chelsea's first-team trip to the United States included Nkunku, Fofana, Disasi, Badiashile, Ugochukwu, Gusto and other France players. It is reported that several players involved accepted Enzo's apology.
In addition, Enzo has offered to donate to an anti-discrimination charity, which Chelsea officials are pleased with and will provide the money through the club's foundation.
Blues boss Maresca said: 'Everyone is feeling comfortable, Enzo is back, he spoke to all of us to make it clear that he has no ill intentions and the lads have accepted it. Since last night's training, everything has been the same as before, everyone got together to talk and laugh. ”
Reece James (captain) and Disasi (black France) were involved in the conversation as player representatives and spoke on behalf of other players to ensure Enzo's return.
At the time of the incident, Wesley Fofana, who had taken Enzo on social media and posted a question, had deleted the relevant news, and it can be seen that his latest social media update was on July 7.
In the early hours of this morning, Beijing time, Chelsea officially posted a photo of Enzo and Caicedo returning to training after the holiday, and Chelsea believes that Enzo's alleged discrimination has been closed internally. However, FIFA is still investigating the incident, which involved several Argentina players.
Enemies gather! Olympic men's football Argentina vs France
The conflict between Enzo and his France team-mates in the Chelsea squad has been resolved, but the feud between France and Argentina may not be so easy to unravel.
The men's group stage of the Paris Olympics has come to an end, with the quarter-finals being decided, with Group A winners France facing Group B runners-up Argentina for a place in the semi-finals.
In the group stage, Thierry Henry's France won three consecutive games against the same group of United States, New Zealand and Guinea, scoring seven goals and conceding zero.
Mascherano's Argentina team suffered a dark start in Group B, losing 1-2 to Morocco in their first game, but won against Iraq and Ukraine, with six points from 2 wins and 1 loss, securing second place.
Over the past few years, Argentina and France have repeatedly bonded on and off the field, even at the government level. Argentina was booed by France fans several times during the Paris Olympics. It is said that the road is narrow, and at 3 o'clock in the morning on August 3, Beijing time, the two teams will compete again in the 1/4 finals.