Chelsea Football Club has condemned all types of discriminatory behavior and has initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry in response to Argentina’s derogatory song about French players, as stated by the club.

The French Football Federation (FFF) announced its intention to file a legal complaint against Chelsea player Enzo Fernández and his Argentine teammates for “racist and discriminatory comments” directed at the French team following Argentina’s victory in the Copa América over Colombia. Chelsea Football Club’s statement on Wednesday emphasized that the club considers all forms of discriminatory behavior to be completely unacceptable.

The club underlined its pride in being an organization that is diverse and inclusive, welcoming individuals from all cultures, communities, and backgrounds.

Following Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Colombia, Fernández shared a video on Instagram that garnered significant attention on X (formerly Twitter). The video showed Argentina players singing offensive chants directed at French players of African descent.

Similar chants had been heard among Argentina supporters prior to the 2022 World Cup final against France, which Argentina ultimately won.

France defender Wesley Fofana expressed his displeasure with his Chelsea teammate by reposting the video, denouncing the chant as “uninhibited racism.”

Chelsea and France forward Christopher Nkunku also reacted on X, saying, “God bless them,” in reference to the derogatory remarks made by the Argentine team.

Fernández issued an apology on Instagram, recognizing that the song “contains highly offensive language” and clarifying that those words “do not align with my beliefs or character. I am against all forms of discrimination and apologize for being swept up in the excitement of our Copa America triumph.”

French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra called on FIFA to intervene, labeling the conduct as “pathetic” and “unacceptable” if repeated. FIFA has not confirmed whether the French complaint has been lodged. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has reiterated the organization’s zero-tolerance policy to racism and committed to relaunching a task force to monitor incidents.