Chelsea announced it has punished Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez with a two-match suspension, due to comments that were interpreted as flirting with Real Madrid ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.
Fernandez said after Chelsea’s exit from the UEFA Champions League last month that he did not know whether he would remain at “Stamford Bridge” next season, even though his contract runs until 2032.
In the same interview, Fernandez explained that no talks had taken place with Real Madrid, stressing his focus on Chelsea, but noted that he would “see what happens after the World Cup.”
What further fueled the controversy was his remark in another interview that he “would like to live in Spain,” adding that Madrid reminds him of the city of Buenos Aires—something the Spanish press interpreted as an attempt to catch the attention of the club’s management.
Disciplinary action
Liam Rosenior, Chelsea’s head coach, said at a press conference on Friday that he had left the midfielder out of the FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale on Saturday, as well as the Premier League clash against Manchester City on April 12.
The coach added, “It’s disappointing for Enzo to speak like that.”
He continued, “I don’t have any bad words to say about him, but he crossed a certain line in terms of the club’s culture and what we’re trying to build. I respect him a lot as a person and as a player, and he’s frustrated because he wants us to succeed.”
He went on, “The decision to suspend the player wasn’t an individual one; it came by agreement between the management, the owners, and the players. The door hasn’t been closed on Enzo, but it’s a disciplinary measure. The team’s culture has to be protected, and the line was crossed in that regard.”
He added, “A lot of these comments came after a difficult 10-day period in terms of results, and it was perhaps the toughest for me as a coach, or even as a player.”
Chelsea lost four consecutive matches between March 11 and 21, including a heavy defeat to Paris Saint-Germain by an aggregate score of 8-2 in the Champions League round of 16.
Fernandez, 25, joined the Blues in January 2023 in a record deal in England worth £107 million, and has since made 161 appearances.
Since Rosenior took charge in January, Chelsea have recorded 10 wins in 19 matches, with seven defeats and two draws.
The team is in sixth place in the English Premier League, 6 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, in the race to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.