The Blues' owners could earned some rare praise for taking a strong stance against racism but they instead chose to reward it
It's now four years since former QPR director of football Les Ferdinand revealed that the club's players would no longer be taking the knee in solidarity with the 'Black Lives Matter' movement.
"No one is more passionate than me about this topic," the ex-England international explained. "I have spoken on the matter throughout my footballing life. But, recently, I took the decision not to do any more interviews on racism in football because the debate was going around in circles…
"The taking of the knee has reached a point of 'good PR' but little more than that. The message has been lost. It is now not dissimilar to a fancy hashtag or a nice pin badge." Or a shiny new shirt.
GettyMaking a mockery of an entire movement
Chelsea are very proud of their home kit for 2024-25, which was designed to reflect "the dynamic culture of London" with a jersey that "features a distinctive 'melting pot' pattern." It's such a shame for the marketing team, then, that Enzo Fernandez was wearing not only the shirt, but also the captain's armband as he took the knee ahead of Sunday's Premier League opener against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.
It was a truly shameful sight, a tone-deaf response to a racism row that not only made a mockery of an entire movement, but also highlighted the total lack of strong leadership at Chelsea right now.
AdvertisementGetty Images'Uninhibited racism'
Just one month before the City game, Fernandez and a number of his Argentina team-mates had felt compelled to celebrate the nation's Copa America triumph by singing a racist song about black players from a country that hadn't even participated in the tournament.
"They play for France, but their parents are from Angola," the players joyfully sang. "Their mother is from Cameroon, while their father is from Nigeria. But their passport says French."
As if to underline the fact that racism is rooted in stupidity, Fernandez decided to live-stream this display of embarrassing ignorance. Unsurprisingly, many of his team-mates were appalled by such behaviour, chief among them Wesley Fofana. "Football in 2024: uninhibited racism," the centre-back wrote on social media.
Instagram'Caught up in the euphoria'
Fernandez promptly posted the obligatory 'heartfelt' apology, insisting that he was "truly sorry" for his actions. "That video, that moment, those words, do not reflect my character or beliefs," he insisted while also rather incredibly implying that racism can be a consequence of getting "caught up in the euphoria" of victory.
His employers also issued a public statement: "Chelsea Football Club finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour completely unacceptable. We are proud to be a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome. We acknowledge and appreciate our player's public apology and will use this as an opportunity to educate. The club has instigated an internal disciplinary procedure."
And how did that inquiry conclude? With Chelsea agreeing to match a significant donation made by Fernandez to an anti-discriminatory charity, before then making him vice-captain for the 2024-25 campaign.
Getty 'It's finished'
"All of us make mistakes," new manager Enzo Maresca said while defending the decision to put Fernandez in such a prestigious position. "It's important to recognise Enzo made a mistake, recognised the mistake and it's finished.
"I don't know about you, but I made some mistakes in the past and I recognised. As a human being, if you make a mistake and you recognise it, you are not going to be punished for life."
The problem is, though, that Chelsea didn't punish Fernandez, they promoted him – and that staggering move has overshadowed all of the club's previous efforts to change the negative perception of a significant part of its fanbase, and create a more inclusive culture at the club.
