Demba Ba wades in on Chelsea racism storm with 'Nazi' jibe at Argentina
Demba Ba has hit out at Argentina amid an investigation into Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez for singing a song alleged to include discriminatory language
Former Chelsea and Newcastle United striker Demba Ba has waded into the racism row that has emerged following Argentina's Copa America win, describing the nation as a 'land of asylum for former Nazis'.
The 39-year-old, who was born in France, provided his verdict amid the fallout from a video posted by Enzo Fernandez which showed the Argentina international and some of his team-mates singing along to a song alleged to include 'racist and discriminatory language'.
Chelsea are investigating the footage, for which the midfielder has apologised. The £107million singing can be seen singing the first few lines of a racist and transphobic song about France players which originated at the 2022 World Cup.
The chant was heard in part in the recording. The lyrics to the song are: "Listen, spread the word, they play in France, but they are all from Angola, they are going to run well, they like to sleep with trans people, their mum is Nigerian, their dad is Cameroonian, but on the passport it says: French."
READ MORE: Amanda Staveley eyes investment in Premier League giant after leaving NewcastleREAD MORE: Jadon Sancho gives clear response to Mason Greenwood's Man Utd exitEx-Premier League striker Ba made no bones about his feelings. "Argentina, land of asylum for former Nazis on the run. From 1945, Peron hosted war criminals. And it surprises you..." he posted on X.
The video has been condemned by Fernandez’s Chelsea colleague Wesley Fofana. The defender said: " Football in 2024: uninhibited racism."
Fernandez’s team-mates at Chelsea include other black Frenchmen in Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Malo Gusto, Christopher Nkunku, Lesley Ugochukwu and Malang Sarr.
Fernandez has received support from his countrymen however. Argentina president Javier Milei retweeted a post saying "the song only speaks the truth", while, vice-President Victoria Villarruel has gone even further, claiming the chant "tells truth they won't admit." Argentina's undersecretary of sport meanwhile has been sacked after calling for Lionel Messi, who was not in the video, to apologise.
Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul has also defended Fernandez. “What happens with this song thing is that one doesn’t analyse the song from the pitch, one sees it more in relation as a joke,” he told Migue Granados on OLGA. “Then I can understand people who have suffered racism and don’t like it.
“I think there are places… I think that if a person, or some of Enzo’s teammates as it happened, feels offended, the way to do it is to call him, not expose him on social media. There is a bit of malice there, or wanting to put Enzo in a place that has absolutely nothing to do with it.
“It’s very strange, it’s like kicking a fallen tree. You call him and say, ‘dude, what happened?’. If you have a relationship… these are people you’re with in the dressing room all the time, unfollowing him seems pointless to me.
“You call him and say, ‘listen, I think we might feel affected by this, why don’t you post a message apologising to the people’, and the subject ends there. Don’t make such a show of it. What I can say in defence of Enzo is that, obviously, the song is there because it was there, because people sing it.”
Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister also commented on the situation. "You have to be careful with what you say or do," Mac Allister said on Argentina's Urbana Play FM.
"Especially in Europe where they are much more sensitive than here. The reality is that we are not a racist country; we are not used to talking about racism so much."
The former Brighton star added: "Enzo has already apologised and explained what happened. I don't think there's much more to say."
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