Enzo Fernandez has apologised after Wesley Fofana declared a video posted by his Chelsea teammate “uninhibited racism” amid a rising race storm involving Argentina and France.

Fofana’s accusation came after the French Football Federation said it would take legal action against Argentina as a result of Fernandez’s video, in which members of the national team appear to be singing a “racist and discriminatory” chant.

Fofana posted Fernandez’s video on his own social media pages with the caption: “Football in 2024: uninhibited racism.” Fofana’s public accusation, regarding a situation in which his club teammate is so heavily involved, will present the first significant challenge for new Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca.

Fernandez apologised for “getting caught up in the euphoria of our Copa America celebrations.”

“That video, that moment, those words, do not reflect my beliefs or my character,” he said on Instagram. “I am truly sorry.”

Fernandez became the most expensive player in British football history after joining Chelsea from Benfica for $131.4 million in 2023.

Chelsea have launched an investigation, with club sources saying the matter is being taken extremely seriously.

A club statement read: “Chelsea Football Club finds all forms of discriminatory behaviour completely unacceptable. We are proud to be a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome.

“We acknowledge and appreciate our player’s public apology and will use this as an opportunity to educate. The club has instigated an internal disciplinary procedure.”

It was reported on Monday that several Chelsea players, including Fofana and French teammates Axel Disasi and Malo Gusto, have unfollowed Fernandez on Instagram since the incident.

The video emerged as Fernandez was live-streaming Argentina’s players during their Copa America celebrations on their team bus in the wake of winning Sunday’s final against Colombia.

Recordings of the video feature members of the team appearing to begin singing a chant that includes racist and homophobic slurs, including against France captain Kylian Mbappe.

The chant dates back at least to the World Cup final in which Argentina beat Mbappe’s country on penalties. The words falsely stereotype France squad members as being “all from Angola” or having a “Nigerian” mother and “Cameroonian” father, as well as making crude insults and wild accusations about Mbappe’s sexuality.

Wesley Fofana of Chelsea PTI

Clips posted of the video show the team seemingly at least singing the Angola part of the song before the recording was cut off. One member of France’s World Cup squad, Eduardo Camavinga, was born in Angola.

In a statement, the FFF announced that it had reported the incident to Fifa and intended to pursue legal action against those allegedly responsible.

“The president of the French Football Federation, Philippe Diallo, condemns in the strongest terms the unacceptable racist and discriminatory remarks which were made against the players of the French team in the context of a song sung by players and supporters of the Argentina team after its victory in the Copa América and broadcast in a video on social media,” an FFF statement read.

“The president of the FFF decided to directly challenge his Argentine counterpart and Fifa and to file a legal complaint for insulting remarks of a racial and discriminatory nature.”

Diallo is a member of the executive committee of European football body Uefa.

Fifa is investigating the video. "Fifa is aware of a video circulating on social media and the incident is being looked into," a Fifa spokesperson said in a statement. "Fifa strongly condemns any form of discrimination by anyone including players, fans and officials."

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has said football and its 211 national federations must have a zero-tolerance approach to racism and in May committed to relaunching a task force to monitor incidents.

It is unclear what jurisdiction Fifa has over the incident on a team bus after a tournament, but the governing body likely could act if the Argentina federation’s handling of the case is considered unsatisfactory.

The clip emerged a month after Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur used a racist slur against captain Son Heung-min during an appearance on television. Bentancur issued an apology for his comments.

The Daily Telegraph in London, Reuters and AP/PTI