Erstwhile Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit has admitted that he was "surprised" to learn of Enzo Fernandez's apparent promotion to Blues vice-captain following the recent racism storm surrounding the Argentine.
After helping his nation retain the Copa America title earlier this year, Fernandez filmed himself and some of his compatriots singing an offensive song about French players on the team bus.
The midfielder's actions inevitably triggered widespread uproar from fans and players, with Fernandez's Chelsea teammate Wesley Fofana publicly condemning the chant on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Several other French Chelsea players - including Malo Gusto and Axel Disasi - seemingly unfollowed Fernandez on social media too, but the former Benfica man swiftly apologised to his teammates.
Fofana then came out in support of Fernandez to the media, insisting that his teammate was "not racist" and the incident was now water under the bridge, while Chelsea did not take any action against him either after he made a donation to an anti-discrimination charity.
Petit: 'Players will not be happy at Enzo decision'
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After returning from his Copa America break, Fernandez joined up with his Chelsea teammates in the USA, featuring against America, Manchester City and Real Madrid before the weekend's draw with Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge.
During the loss to Real Madrid, Fernandez was handed the captain's armband after regular skipper Reece James went off, and Enzo Maresca issued a telling response after the game when asked if the Argentina international would be his vice-captain for 2024-25.
"To be honest, I think when we changed Reece he gave the 'bracelet' to Enzo and this shows how Enzo is respected inside the squad. I think it's quite clear," Maresca told the media, but Petit believes that the Chelsea squad will not be happy with that decision behind closed doors.
"That's a surprise for me, to be honest. If you ask this question to many players in the dressing room, privately they will tell you that they are not happy with that," the 53-year-old told Sports Mole with BetVictor. "What happened with the French team, to reward him as a vice-captain, I don't get it."
Petit - who played 76 times for Chelsea from 2000 to 2004 - also claimed that Fernandez's performances last season did not justify his promotion to vice-captain; during the South American's absence through injury in the final weeks of the campaign, the Blues took 16 points from a possible 18.
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"Especially after the season he did with Chelsea last season, he was not one of the best players on the pitch. So if you want to give a gift to players, they must deserve it. That must be understood by every single player in the dressing room, and for me this is not the case."
Could Fernandez still be banned for offensive chant?
While Chelsea did not punish Fernandez for his offensive chant, the French Football Federation made a complaint to FIFA, who subsequently began their own investigation into the Argentines' actions.
The governing body are still gathering information, and the midfielder could face further repercussions - including a suspension - based on the outcome of the investigation, but there is no timeframe on when that might conclude.
The FA have confirmed that they are not looking into the incident while the FIFA investigation continues, so as things stand, Fernandez will be available for Chelsea's Premier League opener against Manchester City on August 19.
The 23-year-old has registered seven goals and five assists in 62 matches for Chelsea since joining in a British record £106.8m deal from Benfica in 2023.
Ben Knapton
