Enzo Fernandez closer with Chelsea team-mates since racist video fallout | OneFootball

Argentine posted video singing discriminatory song after winning Copa America

Fernandez has since issued apologies both in public and privately, and made a voluntary donation to an anti-discrimination charity.

He wrote on his social media at the time that there was “no excuse” for his actions, and has now explained in an interview with GiveMeSport that he cut his summer holiday short to meet with his team-mates and personally apologise, a move which was appreciated by the squad.

"It was a tough time, but my team-mates understood me,” Fernandez recalled. “The incident is not typical of who I am.

"It was a euphoric moment in which I didn't want to hurt anyone. It was just a song that we sing in Argentina as part of 'football folklore', as we call it.

“I’ve always understood my teammates’ position, so the first thing I did was to phone them and tell them I wasn’t going to go on holiday because I wanted to travel back to speak to them in person to tell them what sort of guy I am and about my values.

"I tried to apologise to the squad to show my team-mates that I'm not the type to discriminate or judge others. They understood my message and that's where it all ended.

“It all fizzled out, and now there is very good harmony in the dressing room."

The scandal was among the first major issues Enzo Maresca had to deal with after joining Chelsea from Leicester. Speaking from the club’s pre-season tour, he dismissed Fernandez’s actions as a “mistake” and later named him the club’s vice captain.

The French Football Federation made a formal complaint to Fifa about the video at the time, but Fernandez was not punished by the Premier League, FA, or Uefa as the incident took place under Conmebol’s jurisdiction.