Liverpool midfielder Alexis McAllister His Argentine teammate said: Enzo Fernandez He is facing undeserved backlash over a video showing the Chelsea midfielder singing a discriminatory chant.

Fernandez apologised this week after posting a video on Instagram following his team’s 1-0 win over Colombia in the Copa America final in which he and other Argentine players appeared to sing an offensive song targeting France’s African players.

Chelsea and FIFA have opened an investigation into the incident after the French Football Federation announced it would file a legal complaint over “racist and discriminatory statements” made by Fernandez and his Argentina teammates.

McAllister, who did not appear in the video, told the Argentine radio station: Urbana play“Enzo has already apologized and explained what happened. There is nothing more to add.

“We know Enzo, we know he would never do it with bad intentions. It’s just a chant that sticks in the mind, it’s more than just a sarcastic tone. The most important thing is that Enzo apologized and we have to give him credit.”

The same chants were heard – by some Argentine fans – before the France-Argentina match in the 2022 World Cup final, which Argentina won.

Fernandez Club mates Wesley Fofana And Christopher Nkunku France has both. They expressed their dissatisfaction.

Argentina international Rodrigo De Paul feels Fernandez is being unfairly targeted.

“It happens that no one analyses the stadium songs”, Atletico Madrid The midfielder said:

“I can understand people who have experienced racism and all that, and they don’t like it. But there are ways. If Enzo [club] “His teammates were offended, and the right way to deal with it is to call him and not post it on social media. I think there is some malice or putting Enzo in a place he shouldn’t be in at all.”

The Argentine government on Thursday dismissed the country’s undersecretary for sports, Julio Garro, from his post over his call for the appointment of a team captain. Lionel Messi The president of the Argentine Football Association, Claudio Tapia, demanded an apology for the video.

MacAllister said his country is not racist.

“The truth is that here we are not a racist country. We are not used to talking about racism. It is an important topic,” he said.

“You have to be careful what you do and say, especially in Europe because it’s more sensitive there.”