Enzo Fernandez is warned his Chelsea team-mates ‘will NEVER look at him the saw way again’ following ‘racist’ Argentina chant – as Darren Bent reveals online abuse he has received for calling out the Argentine

Darren Bent believes Enzo Fernandez has irreparably damaged the relationship with his Chelsea teammates.

The Blues midfielder filmed himself and many of his Argentina team-mates singing a ‘racist’ chant during their Copa America victory celebrations, appearing to perform a controversial song in which he claimed French players are ‘from Angola’ or have a ‘Nigerian’ mother and a ‘Cameroonian’ father.

He was accused of ‘rampant racism’ by his French teammate Wesley Fofana, while Malo Gusto and Axel Disasi also unfollowed him on social media.

Fernandez publicly apologized on Tuesday evening, after which he reportedly apologized to the Chelsea squad.

But despite Fernandez’s pleas, the former Premier League striker believes his Blues colleagues ‘will never look at him the same way again’.

I hope they [Chelsea teammates] would have contacted him first and asked the question, ‘What are you doing?’ Bent said on talkSPORT. “But they will never look at him the same way again, regardless of whether he apologizes and says, ‘I should never have done this.’

‘Even if he stands there in front of his Chelsea team-mates and says, ‘I’m so sorry for what I did,’ they will never look at him the same way again.’

‘At that point he’s the one hosting the video. It’s clear that this isn’t the first time he’s sung this song and it’s not their [Argentina squad] The first time they sing this song, because they are all happy, they are all singing and they are all cheerful because they just won the Copa America.

‘But at the same time, in that relaxed atmosphere and no matter how easy it is, his teammates will never trust him the same way again.’

Bent had previously revealed on social media that he had been the target of gross abuse after criticising the Argentine star’s performances last season.

“The last time I spoke about Enzo Fernandez and his performances for Chelsea, I got these reactions, and this isn’t even half of them,” he said on X, where he posted two videos of himself scrolling through the numerous racist comments posted to his Instagram.

On talkSPORT he added: ‘I wasn’t talking about his personality or him as a character, just him as a player. I can’t tell you how much abuse came through.’

In addition to teammates who have already condemned Fernandez’s actions, David Fofana – who spent last season on loan at Burnley – also stated that ‘this kind of action has no place in football’.

“The football I like is multi-ethnic,” the Ivory Coast international wrote on Instagram. “Racism in all its forms must be condemned as strongly as possible.

“These actions have no place in football or anywhere else. This fight really needs to be taken seriously by everyone in this sport.”

Fernandez has received public support from at least one of his teammates. Striker Nicolas Jackson shared a clip of Fernandez interacting with a young black child at the end of one of the Blues’ pre-season games last summer.

He also posted a picture of himself and Fernandez sitting next to each other during a training session at the club’s Cobham base.

Chelsea broke their silence on Wednesday morning with a statement condemning “all forms” of discriminatory behaviour.

“Chelsea Football Club finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour completely unacceptable. We pride ourselves on being a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome,” the club said.

“We acknowledge and appreciate our player’s public apology and will use this as an opportunity to educate. The club has initiated an internal disciplinary procedure.”

FIFA also said it was investigating the issue. A statement from the world football governing body said: ‘FIFA is aware of a video circulating on social media and the incident is being investigated. FIFA strongly condemns any form of discrimination by anyone, including players, fans and officials.’

Chelsea have a host of French players in their squad, including Fofana, Malo Gusto, Lesley Ugochukwu, Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile.

Bent believes that new head coach Enzo Maresca and the club directors now have an important decision to make about how they want to tackle the problem that is causing division in the dressing room.

I don’t think he [Fernandez] can get himself out of it, Bent added. ‘He’s probably the most relaxed he’s ever been because he’s just won another major award and that’s when the loose lips come out, the free-flowing speech comes out and that’s when you see what someone is really like sometimes.

‘I don’t think he can just go back into the dressing room and I really believe Chelsea have to make an important decision because this is going to have consequences for the future.

‘If you’re one of the French players, you’re waiting for Chelsea to do something about this because it tells you which side of the fence they’re on.

“If they say we’re going to fine him and let the matter continue, I would absolutely not be happy with that.

“That’s not support for me, that’s almost just sweeping it under the carpet. We’ve seen these pathetic fines at UEFA and FIFA, it doesn’t do anything.

‘You have black players in that dressing room. It’s all well and good that people hide behind campaigns and slogans saying that as a football club we will not tolerate racism, well here’s your chance to lead by example.’