Alexis Mac Allister claims that Argentina ‘is not a racist nation’
- Midfielder is believed to have apologised both in public and in private to team
- Controversial chant has been widely condemned as racist and transphobic
- PLUS: Chelsea icon Paul Canoville offers to mediate between the Blues players
Enzo Fernandez‘s Argentina team-mate Alexis Mac Allister and the player’s father Raul have weighed in on the video capturing members of the Albiceleste singing a racist and transphobic song.
The Chelsea star recorded the video on Instagram Live amid raucous celebrations in the wake of the team’s Copa America victory on Sunday as Fernandez and as-yet unidentified team-mates sang a discriminatory song about the French team which described their players as ‘coming from Angola’.
Fernandez has received widespread condemnation for participating in the chant, including from his west London team-mates such as Wesley Fofana – who described it as ‘uninhibited racism’.
Fofana’s Chelsea compatriots including Malo Gusto, Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile, and Lesley Ugochukwu have since unfollowed Fernandez on the platform, where Fernandez on Tuesday shared a public apology.
The 23-year-old is also thought to have apologised to his team-mates in private, against the backdrop of the club launching an ‘internal disciplinary procedure’ over their midfielder’s conduct.
Alexis Mac Allister has shared his thoughts on the video shared by Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez
The Argentina team-mates on Sunday celebrated winning back-to-back Copa America titles
Fernandez has been the subject of widespread criticism for taking part in the chant and sharing it on social media
But Liverpool star Mac Allister was keen to stress that the chant sung by the Argentina team had been misinterpreted somewhat, and in his defense of Fernandez, claimed that their’s was ‘not a racist country’.
‘You have to be careful with what you say or do,’ Mac Allister said on Thursday in an interview with Argentina’s Urbana Play FM. ‘Especially in Europe where they are much more sensitive than here.
‘The reality is that we are not a racist country; we are not used to talking about racism so much.’
Adding that it was ‘obviously a very important topic’, Mac Allister went on to underscore that the midfielder was a good person.
‘Enzo has already apologised and explained what happened,’ the midfielder continued. ‘I don’t think there’s much more to say.
‘We know Enzo, we know he would never do it with bad intentions, he’s not that guy, he’s not racist.’
The midfielder offered a sincere apology on the social media site as the video went viral
Defending Fernandez even more keenly on Thursday was his father, who – as well as stressing that his son was not racist, argued that Argentinians had also been the victim of discriminatory chants.
‘I know what my son is. He is not that (racist),’ Fernandez Snr told Deportes Argentos. ‘It is difficult for a European to understand our football folklore.
‘He recorded that live at an inopportune moment, he didn’t even realise what he was singing.
‘In 2014, when Germany beat us, they imitated the way gauchos (Argentine horsemen) walked and treated us like ignoramuses.
‘In 2018, France was criticising (Lionel) Messi because of his height. We never came out and said that we were being discriminated against.’
Fernandez’s father Raul (far left) has also defended his son and claimed that he ‘is not’ racist
While Fernandez will await the outcome of Chelsea’s internal investigation, the player could yet be subject to a greater sanction from the FA.
English football’s governing body are not yet looking into the incident, but if they choose to do so, Fernandez could face a ban for between six and 12 matches.
The French Football Federation have already lodged a complaint with FIFA over the video’s contents, but any potential punishment will likely target the Argentinian FA, rather than the individual.
