Enzo Fernandez slammed for 'cursing' Chelsea's season with Copa America racism controversy as ex-Blues star warns team-mates will not 'fight' for Argentine midfielder as a result

Fernandez was at the centre of a racism storm after posting a controversial video of the Argentina national team following their Copa America triumph. The Chelsea man and some of his Argentine team-mates were seen signing a song which was later described as "racist and discriminatory"bythe French Football Federation. While the 23-year-old issued an apology and manager Enzo Maresca and captain Reece James seemed keen to move on from the incident, former France international Petit has torn into the midfielder and warned his team-mates won't "fight" for him as much this season.

He told Gambling Zone: "If I’m Wesley Fofana or someone else who would be personally affected, I’m angry. The song will not be forgotten and will have left a scar. This is not something you can brush under the carpet. This is a really serious issue and a really serious incident. If I’m someone in that dressing room, I will feel concerned. OK, he apologised. It’s easy to apologise and say to your teammates we’re all brothers fighting for the same badge. Perhaps they can forgive him, but, emotionally, it would have left a big scar. I just don’t think that on the pitch, after what he said, the Chelsea players will fight in the same way for him. I can’t see it. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe the players will show something different; a different example when they cross the line.

Petit added: "Are we going to fight together on the pitch to win games and competitions? Really? Explain to me how the Chelsea players are going to do that. Are they going to run through brick walls to help Fernandez? I don’t think they will. It’s not going to be the same and it can’t be the same after what he said. You can’t normalise racism in society. You see it everywhere and it’s really upsetting. Social media allows people to lose their inhibitions. It’s bullshit. It’s becoming normal in our world. I think this incident could really curse Chelsea’s season. As I said, they have so many troubles in the club, don’t bring any more in, especially from your own players."

Despite the furore around the Chelsea man's actions, manager Maresca will make Fernandez his vice-captain this season. Team-mate Wesley Fofana initially criticised the former Benfica man, before later saying he "is not racist". All of this has left a stain on the club's pre-season preparations, something that has been made worse by the poor form in recent friendlies. This could be another chaotic season for the Blues.

Chelsea round off their pre-season campaign against Inter Milan on Sunday afternoon at Stamford Bridge, before kickstarting the season proper against defending Premier League champions Manchester City at home on August 18.