France take legal action against Argentina after Enzo Fernandez posts video of racist chant

The French Football Federation intends to take legal action against Argentina after Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez posted a video of the national team players appearing to sing a “racist and discriminatory” chant.

Fernandez is at the centre of a racism and homophobia storm after live streaming Argentina’s players during their Copa America celebrations on their team bus in the wake of winning Sunday’s final against Colombia.

Recordings of the video features members of the team appearing to begin singing a chant that includes racist and homophobic slurs, including against France captain Kylian Mbappe.

The chant dates back at least to the World Cup final in which Argentina beat Mbappe’s country on penalties.

The words falsely stereotype France squad members as being “all from Angola” or having a “Nigerian” mother and “Cameroonian” father, as well as making crude insults and wild accusations about Mbappe’s sexuality.

Clips posted of Chelsea midfielder Fernandez’s video show the team seemingly at least singing the Angola part of the song before the recording was cut off.

One member of France’s World Cup squad, Eduardo Camavinga, was born in Angola.

In a statement, the FFF announced that it had reported the incident to Fifa and intends to pursue legal action against those allegedly responsible.

“The president of the French Football Federation, Philippe Diallo, condemns in the strongest terms the unacceptable racist and discriminatory remarks which were made against the players of the French team in the context of a song sung by players and supporters of the Argentina team after its victory in the Copa America and broadcast in a video on social media,” an FFF statement read on Tuesday.

“Faced with the seriousness of these shocking remarks, contrary to the values ​​of sport and human rights, the president of the FFF decided to directly challenge his Argentine counterpart and FIFA and to file a legal complaint for insulting remarks of a racial and discriminatory nature.”

Telegraph Sport has approached the Argentinian Football Association, Fifa, the Football Association and Chelsea for comment.

The clip emerged a month after Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur used a racist slur against captain Son Heung-min during an appearance on Uruguayan television.

Speaking to Canal 10 on the show Por La Camiseta, Bentancur had appeared to suggest that Son and all “his cousins” looked the same.

Bentancur issued an apology for his comments, which Telegraph Sport was told the FA was looking into.

Spurs and Son released statements of their own, with the South Korean insisting he and Bentancur remained “brothers” and that “nothing has changed” in their relationship.

The club said they fully supported Son in feeling he could “draw a line” under the incident, adding that they would provide “further education” for all their players.

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