Fernandez, who became Chelsea’s vice-captain that summer under manager Enzo Maresca, explained how he cut short his post-tournament holiday to apologise in person during their pre-season tour of the United States, when he also released a written statement saying he was “truly sorry”.
When asked if the episode strengthened his relationship with his team-mates, he replied: “Yes, absolutely.” He added: “It was a tough time, but my team-mates understood me.
“It was a euphoric moment in which I didn’t want to hurt anyone. It was just a song that we sing in Argentina as part of ‘football folklore’, as we call it.
“I tried to apologise to the squad to show my team-mates that I’m not the type to discriminate or judge others. They understood my message and that’s where it all ended.”
The French Football Federation (FFF) filed a complaint to Fifa about the video, which it called “racist and discriminatory” as it targeted the ethnicity of their players.
However, no punishment was issued by the Premier League, Football Association or Uefa, as it fell under the jurisdiction of South American governing body Conmebol because it happened on international duty with Argentina.
Kick It Out, the anti-discrimination group, raised its concerns with world governing body Fifa in January regarding the lack of action taken against Fernandez.