Chelsea squad ‘together’ insists Enzo Maresca after Enzo Fernandez apology

Enzo Maresca insists the Chelsea squad are united again after Enzo Fernandez apologised to them for singing a racist song while on international duty with Argentina.

Fernandez said sorry to the squad in person after linking up with them for their US tour, while he is also understood to have volunteered to make a donation to an anti-discrimination charity.

The midfielder had sparked a race storm after live-streaming a video following the Copa America final earlier this month in which he and his Argentina team-mates sang a discriminatory chant about the French national team.

Fernandez’s Chelsea team-mate Wesley Fofana branded the video “uninhibited racism” and FIFA are investigating.

But new Chelsea boss Maresca has moved to insist that the squad are now “together” again after Fernandez apologised.

“To be honest, we all feel very comfortable, very good because Enzo is back,” said Maresca in Atlanta on Tuesday. “He had a chat with all of us just to clarify there were no bad intentions and the lads all accepted.

“Since yesterday’s session, last night, everything was like before in terms of they were all together, all speaking, all laughing. Normal situation.

“The player has arrived here, had a chat with his team-mates, had a chat with us and now the situation looks completely normal, like before.

“The meeting was between me, Enzo, a few players to clarify the situation. There is nothing more to add. There is not any mystery behind.

“We all make mistakes. We have to be good to apologise because sometimes we struggle even to apologise. Enzo apologised already four or five times. They have all accepted it.

"As I said, since last night the situation is completely normal. Everyone is speaking with each other, everyone is laughing. This is exactly what I expected because I knew there was never any bad intentions and they are all good people. But all of us, sometimes we do mistakes.

“The meeting was between Enzo, some of his mates, Wes [Fofana] was there. They spoke with each other. It is normal sometimes that the first reaction is not always good when they argue, the first interaction is not good.

“But thinking about it a little bit, day after day, you can understand that there was not any bad intention because they know Enzo better than me. They know Enzo is a good guy.”