Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana says his team-mate Enzo Fernandez is “not racist” – and has accepted an apology from the Argentina midfielder, who was filmed singing a derogatory song about France’s black players.
Fernandez was accused of “uninhibited racism” by Fofana for a video posted to his social media account after Argentina beat Colombia 1-0 in the Copa America final on 14 July.
But Frenchman Fofana – who later deleted his post – says Fernandez has now “said sorry” and “did not understand” when singing it.
Chelsea will take no action against Fernandez following an internal disciplinary procedure which is now closed.
“I trust him because I know him,” Fofana told British journalists at Chelsea’s pre-season training camp in the United States.
“I know he is not racist. The act… I felt a little bit upset. But now, it is done. It is finished.
“I hope this has educated him a bit, because for sure, it is a different culture. We need to educate about this because cultures are different, a lot of countries.”
Fernandez has made a voluntary contribution to an anti-discrimination charity, which will be matched by Chelsea.
Fofana, 23, said he did not want Fernandez to be fined and education is more important.
“I don’t think a big sanction for Enzo is a good process,” he added.
“We need to educate about this because cultures are different, a lot of countries. We don’t have the same education, for good or bad. But we need to educate everybody if we don’t want a repeat.”​​​​​​​
Fofana confirmed that all members of the team have accepted the 23-year-old Argentine’s apology, with the situation now “finished”.
He added: “We talked, all the team together. It was not only me and Enzo. It was everybody.
“We are in the same team and we need to go forward together. It is finished. We play together. We need to stay together. We’re strong together.”