The Antirasism Agency Writes To FIFA About The Investigation Of Enzo Fernandez's Song

An investigation by FIFA into Enzo Fernandez who was involved in an obscure racist chant (Instagram/@enzojfernandez).

JAKARTA - The anti-discrimination group Kick It Out has sent a letter to FIFA and Conmebol regarding the investigation into Enzo Fernendez.

The Argentine National Team star uploaded a song that was allegedly racist and anti-gay on social media last summer.

The Chelsea midfielder uploaded a video of Argentina singing about French players of African descent after defeating Colombia in the 2024 Copa America final.

In a letter sent on Monday, January 13, 2025, Kick It Out CEO Samuel Okafor wrote that they had repeatedly asked FIFA and the English Football Association (FA) about the progress of the investigation into the chant.

The 23-year-old has actually apologized after the French Football Federation (FFF) filed a legal complaint, saying he was caught in the euphoria of winning international tournaments.

In September 2024, the FA will not investigate the matter because the incident is under FIFA jurisdiction. You see, the player is on international duty.

This is in stark contrast to the seven-match ban imposed by the FA on Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, following his comments that South Koreans "all look the same" in an interview.

This was investigated by the FA when the Uruguayan National Team player made comments on the country's Canal 10 television channel in June 2024 when appearing in a personal capacity, not as an international player.

"Stating facts and achieving results should not be an extraordinary task or difficult for organizations that want to deal with discrimination seriously," Okafor wrote in the letter.

"On behalf of many parties in the football community involved in this case, we would really appreciate if you could tell us that the investigation is ongoing and when you intend to achieve the results."

"Some of the players were recorded as singing a song on the team train containing racist and transphobic elements against French players."

"Gelandang Enzo Fernandez is clearly seen singing even though we realized he was not alone in the action because many players could be heard during the video."

"Chelsea said Fernandez will take education to learn from his mistakes. However, it is important to note how this incident and its handling will affect the wider community, both in the UK and around the world," the letter continued.

Okafor added that the absence of any investigation would be a symbol of a very worrying lack of transparency and accountability, especially given how widely this incident could be seen.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino launched an anti-racism task force in May 2024 - after closing his predecessor in 2018 which stated his duties were complete - and asked all 211 member federations to mandate racist abuse in football as a disciplinary violation.

"As Mr. Infantino underlined in May 2024, when the federations describe their intention to take a global stance on racism, it is very important for us to present a united front to overcome discrimination."

"Otherwise, a claim from the federation that action is being taken will fall in the first obstacle," the letter added.

FIFA and Conmebol have yet to respond to the letter sent by Kick It Out.