Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández has been banned from driving for six months because of motoring offenses in Wales. The 23-year-old Fernández did not appear in court for sentencing on Wednesday. He had been found guilty earlier this year on two charges of failing to identify the driver of a Porsche Cayenne. A driver of the car allegedly ran a red light in the town of Llanelli in November and was caught speeding in Swansea last December. It was not proven that Fernández was the driver of the vehicle. Fernández, who played for Argentina in Colombia on Tuesday, was the vehicle's registered owner but did not respond to police requests for information. He also was ordered to pay £3,020 ($4,000) in fines and costs.
Failing to Identify the Driver
The Argentinian footballer had already been found guilty of failing to identify the driver of a Porsche that allegedly drove through a red light in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, in November 2023. The 23-year-old was also found guilty of a similar offence relating to the same car allegedly caught speeding in Swansea a month later.
The Porsche Cayenne allegedly drove through a red light on Church Street in Llanelli on 28 November and was allegedly caught speeding on Carmarthen Road in Swansea on 20 December. It was not proven that Fernandez was the driver on both occasions but, the court heard, he did not respond to requests from Dyfed-Powys Police and South Wales Police for information about the driver of the vehicle. The Premier League star already had nine penalty points on his driving licence for previous speeding offences. Chairman of the magistrates, Wyn Evans, imposed six penalty points for each offence of failing to provide information, resulting in the immediate ban.
Sentencing and Fines
Fernandez was also ordered to pay £2,000 in fines, £210 in costs and a £800 surcharge by 9 October. Having helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup, the midfielder was signed by Chelsea the following year for a British record fee of £107m.
Fernandez was also fined a total of £3,020, including costs, at Llanelli Magistrates Court. The case was heard in the 23-year-old's absence.
He was fined £1,000 per offence and ordered to pay £110 in costs to Dyfed-Powys Police and South Wales Police respectively. He must also pay a surcharge of £800 for the offences, bringing the total to £3,020. For both offences, he received a total of 12 penalty points. These are in addition to the nine penalty points already on his licence. Sentencing, Mr Wyn Edwards said Fernandez would therefore be disqualified for a period of six months to begin on Wednesday.
A Recent Controversy
It comes after Fernandez was slammed for filming himself and his Argentina team-mates singing a chant about France's black players following their Copa America triumph in July. The song, which also singles out Kylian Mbappe, was condemned by the French Football Federation who filed a complaint to FIFA. Fernández's Chelsea team-mate Wesley Fofana also reposted the video and labelled the chant 'uninhibited racism' before unfollowing Fernandez on Instagram. Two other Chelsea players - Malo Gusto and Axel Disasi - also unfollowed Fernandez. The midfielder subsequently apologised for the video and insisted he is not racist, while Chelsea reacted by condemning 'all forms of discriminatory behaviour' prior to conducting their own investigation. Club manager Enzo Maresca then caused controversy last month after he named Fernandez as captain for the Blues' opening Premier League fixture against Manchester City. Speaking prior to the game against City, Maresca said Fernandez was one of several options to wear the armband and that the racism saga had been dealt with. 'He's one of the captains,' Maresca told Sky Sports. 'He's not the only captain, but he's the captain today. I can see his team-mates, they like him as a player and as a man. All of us sometimes do some mistakes. The important thing is to recognise this and it's finished.' In the aftermath of the racism storm, Fernandez pledged to make a significant donation to an anti-discrimination charity. Fofana, one of five French players in Chelsea's vast squad, also revealed in late July he had smoothed things over with Fernandez and insisted the Argentine 'is not racist'. Fernandez made his breakthrough in his country's World Cup-winning side in 2022, appearing for just the fourth time in a blue and white shirt in a cameo in their opening fixture against Saudi Arabia. By the end of the tournament he was one of the first names on the teamsheet, scoring one and assisting another in a glittering tournament which earned him a move to Stamford Bridge.
Impact on His Career
Fernandez has been disqualified from driving and handed a £3,020 fine after the Chelsea vice-captain twice failed to identify the driver of a car. The Argentinian's sentence was revealed in his absence at Llanelli Magistrates' Court, Carmarthenshire, on Wednesday afternoon, as reported by Sky News. Fernandez first failed to identify who was driving a speeding Porsche Cayenne on Carmarthen Road, Swansea, on December 27, 2023. The 23-year-old then committed a further offence after failing to identify the driver of a vehicle running a red light on Church Street, Llanelli, on 24 January. He has now been hit with a fine and driving ban although it has not been proven whether the Chelsea midfielder was driving the vehicle on either occasion.
Quite what the Argentine, or someone using his car, was doing in South Wales at Christmas time is a real mystery. On the day of the first incident Chelsea played and beat Crystal Palace at home – although Enzo wasn’t in the squad as he had an injury. The other incident took place the day after Chelsea beat Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup – with Enzo scoring in that game. Perhaps he was celebrating his day off with a quick trip to the Brecon Beacons? Whatever the truth, speeding and running red lights is not a good look for him or whoever he trusts enough to use the vehicle. A six month driving ban is brutal – although not so bad if you’re a footballer and can afford a private driver. Still, considering the racism controversy which has massively damaged his image, this is the last thing the £100m former Benfica man needed. He’s really struggling for form this season, and it feels like at the moment he’s only in the team because of his price tag. He needs to start performing on the pitch – and get his act together off it, too.
