After losing the grand final and receiving a red card in an absurd play, the midfielder broke his silence. Far from taking the blame, he accused the officiating of persecution and flatly refused to apologize.
Losing a final always hurts, but the way defeat is handled defines a team’s greatness. After the final whistle crowned the new champion and left the Argentina national team empty-handed, attention shifted from the pitch to the mixed zone, where a statement by Enzo Fernández ended up setting the world of football ablaze.
The Chelsea midfielder, who left his team a man down at a crucial moment in the match after a foul as reckless as it was unnecessary, reappeared before the microphones. But those expecting a gesture of humility or an apology to his fans were met with a wall of anger and accusations.
“We played against the referee”: No self-criticism after the defeat
Visibly upset and with no intention of hiding his frustration, Enzo Fernández lashed out directly at the officiating crew to justify La Albiceleste’s defeat:
“Today I leave very sad, I leave very angry. Today we played against the officiating. We were the best team on the pitch until the referee started calling things against us. It has always been like this; the officiating is always against Argentina”.
For Fernández, responsibility for the result did not lie in tactical mistakes, a lack of finishing in front of goal, or defensive lapses, but rather in an “orchestrated plan” by the match official to harm his country.
Absurd foul and zero remorse
What truly sparked outrage on social media was the footballer’s attitude toward his own sending-off. Various international outlets described Enzo’s red card as an “stupid and irresponsible decision” that ended his team’s hopes in the final.
However, when asked whether he felt obliged to apologize to his teammates or the fans for leaving them at a disadvantage, Fernández was blunt and showed not the slightest remorse: he flatly refused to apologize, insisting that he would play the same way again and that the punishment was excessive.