Reece James has admitted that the racism controversy surrounding Enzo Fernandez could cause a “problem” for the Chelsea team.
The midfielder live streamed the Argentina squad’s celebrations on the team bus after winning the Copa America, during which players sang a derogatory song aimed at a number of France players.
Chelsea defender and France international Wesley Fofana called out the club’s record signing and criticised the “uninhibited racism” on show in the video, while a number of teammates have unfollowed Fernandez on Instagram.
The 23-year-old, who apologised to his clubmates in a private video message, is set to link up with the squad next week for pre-season. Chelsea are conducting an internal investigation into the matter.
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“Of course,” James told ESPN when asked if the issue could affect team spirit. “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 confirmed that he has had a conversation with Fernandez over the incident.
“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.
“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.”
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