Reece James admits the racism storm surrounding his Chelsea teammate Enzo Fernández could be a “problem” within the dressing room.
Fernández and some of his Argentina teammates caused controversy during their Copa América celebrations, when they were filmed singing a derogatory song aimed at a number of France players.
Chelsea’s record signing was called out by his clubmate Wesley Fofana, a France international, who said the video showed “uninhibited racism”. Fernández has apologised.
An internal investigation is under way, with Fernández due to meet up with his Chelsea colleagues on Monday as their pre-season preparations continue in the United States.
James, asked whether the issue could affect team spirit, told ESPN: “Of course. There’s always the factor where it doesn’t sit right with people when there could be a problem.
“But until the day comes where everyone’s together and in a room together, I don’t know, but I hope things can be resolved smoothly and we can move forward with the season.”
James, the Chelsea captain, who is back in training after an injury-hit season, has had a conversation with Fernández. “I spoke to him a bit, but it was hard because we were on different time zones,” he said. “Just a general chat really. His views on what happened and him trying to explain his situation and how things happened.
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“It’s a really difficult situation. There’s no room for racism or discrimination in football. I think he quickly put his hand up and acknowledged he’d done wrong and apologised to his teammates, the club and the rest of the people that were offended. I think that was probably the best he could have done in that situation.”
Source: theguardian.com
