Chelsea football club has been rocked by internal disciplinary action as vice-captain Enzo Fernandez has been officially dropped for the upcoming fixtures against Port Vale and Manchester City.
The decision, confirmed by head coach Liam Rosenior during Friday's press conference, comes after the Argentine midfielder made a series of public remarks that appeared to cast doubt on his long-term future at Stamford Bridge and criticized the club's board for their mid-season coaching changes.
Chelsea are set to host League One side Port Vale in an FA Cup quarter-final this Saturday, followed by a high-stakes Premier League encounter with Manchester City on April 12. Fernandez will play no part in either.
"I spoke with Enzo an hour ago," Rosenior told
reporters. "As a football club, with me as part of that process, we've made a decision. He won't be available for tomorrow's game and he won't be available for Manchester City next Sunday. I think for Enzo, it's disappointing to speak in that way. "
While Rosenior maintained that he has "no bad words to say" about the 25-year-old's character, he emphasized that the sanction was necessary to protect the squad's integrity. "I think a line was crossed in terms of our culture and what we want to build. So we had to make a sanction. "
What Did Enzo Fernandez Say?
The friction began following Chelsea's 8-2 aggregate drubbing at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on March 17. When questioned about his future, the World Cup winner gave a cryptic response.
"I don't know, right now, I'm thinking here," Fernandez said. "There are eight games left (in the Premier League) and the FA Cup and then there's the World Cup and then we'll see, we'll see. "
The situation worsened during an interview with broadcaster TUDN, where Fernandez openly questioned the club's decision to sack previous head coach Enzo Maresca in January.
"Obviously it's a departure that hurt us a lot because we had an identity, he had given us an order, beyond how football sometimes gives you good or bad results," Fernandez admitted. "Enzo always had a very clear identity when it came to training, playing, and obviously it hurt us a lot his departure, moreover, in the middle of the season. "
The final straw appears to have been a comment made to Luzu TV during the recent international break. When asked which European city he would prefer to live in, Fernandez replied: "I really like Madrid, it's similar to Buenos Aires, the food, everything. "
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