ENZO FERNANDEZ has been seen for the first time since his racism storm.
The Chelsea star is in hot water after filming himself and his Argentine team-mates singing a vile racist song about the French national team.
Fernandez, 23, has faced a huge backlash to the video, with multiple Chelsea stars unfollowing him on social media.
The midfielder was publicly shamed by Wesley Fofana, who labelled the video as “uninhibited racism”.
SunSport understands that Chelsea are now facing a major divide in the dressing room ahead of the Premier League season.
Fernandez has since apologised for his part in the chants that caused massive offence.
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However, former Blues star Tony Cascarino believes Fernandez will never be forgiven.
He has now been seen for the first time after appearing at River Plate’s Estadio Monumental.
He was given a standing ovation by the fans in the ground as he wore the club’s shirt and entered the pitch.
Fernandez played for the Argentine side before his move to Europe in 2022.
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He was a part of River’s youth academy from 2007 until he graduated to the first team in 2019.
Benfica then signed the midfielder 2022 for just £8million before selling him to Chelsea six months later to Chelsea.
The Blues forked out £106.8m for Fernandez in January 2023, but he has struggled to find his best form in England.
He could now face a huge punishment for the racist singing, with a 12-game ban a possibility, according to sports lawyer Udo Onwere.
Onwere believes Fifa will delegate responsibility for sanctioning Fernandez to the FA, who have strict guidelines regarding punishing discriminatory behaviour.
They read: “Match-based sanctions of six to twelve games will be recommended to Regulatory Commissions for almost all acts of discrimination by individual participants.”
Meet Pep Guardiola disciple Enzo Maresca
ENZO MARESCA is considered among the most exciting young coaches on the planet.
Born in Italy in 1980, he managed to guide Leicester to the Championship title in his first season as Foxes boss.
His management career started at Italian minnows Ascoli before he was snapped up by Man City in 2020 to manage their Elite Development Squad.
He guided the youth team to the Premier League 2 title in his one season working for the Citizens – with Cole Palmer in the side.
His first senior job was with Parma but he was sacked after just a few months after failing to impress.
Despite the team playing in Serie B and Maresca having an impressive squad he was unable to get them on course for promotion.
He returned to Man City and worked as one of Pep Guardiola’s assistants for the 2022/23 season as they won the Treble.
He took over relegated Leicester last summer and made an immediate impact, with the Foxes winning the Championship title.
Maresca showed his dedication to the job by living at the training ground for the first two months after his appointment.
He’s considered something of a Pep disciple and has said: “For a coach, it’s important to have the mentality of a chess player.”
During his playing career he played under Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi – and alongside ex-Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
