‘Go and don’t come back again’ – Benfica fans fume at ‘disrespectful’ Enzo Fernandez after flying back to Argentina and missing training
After Enzo Fernandez was seen partying in Argentina on New Year’s Eve and apparently skipped team practice, Benfica supporters ripped into him, advising the in-demand World Cup star to “go to hell” and urging the club to transfer him to Chelsea.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Following his triumphs with Argentina in Qatar and Chelsea, Fernandez has been extensively linked with a move there. By ignoring orders not to fly back to Argentina, he already upset his club, and now his fans.
This week, Sportsmail reported that the Blues are willing to spend £112 million for his services, which is £6 million more than his buyout clause, in order to complete the agreement before their rivals. The money will be paid in three annual instalments of £37.3 million.
On Tuesday, Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville criticised the potential fee under consideration and questioned whether Fernandez was worth the money.
Despite playing for his nation in the World Cup final 12 days prior, Fernandez made his comeback to action on December 30 for Benfica, appearing for 89 minutes in a 3-0 loss to rivals Braga.
Then, despite the advice of his club, he chose to travel back to Argentina for the New Year’s festivities. On January 2, his agent Uriel Perez posted a photo of Fernandez still having a good time, which infuriated fans because he supposedly skipped Benfica training.
According to the Portuguese publication Record, Fernandez missed both of Benfica’s Monday practises and may even have to pay a “large punishment” for breaking the rules.
According to the source, Fernandez has also been given a deadline to join the team. In response, fans vented their rage at Fernandez in comments on Perez’s Instagram photo, which have since been disabled by the agent. Some of these remarks pushed the team to “take the £105m.”
According to Spanish news station AS, one note said, “Get out, leave somewhere, and don’t return back.” You must be incredibly unprofessional to play for a team as big as Benfica, he said.
Another person commented, “What disrespect for Benfica at such a key time in the season. Go to hell and take the £105 million. Nobody is better than Benfica.
Unthankful, a supporter remarked. “You wouldn’t have attended the World Cup if not for Benfica,” the statement read.
A second, equally harsh response said, “For me, don’t play for Benfica again!” What a lack of professionalism from a team that gave him support to compete in the Champions League and the World Cup. “Get up, boy.”
“How great to bid goodbye to 2022 and start 2023 in this fashion,” Perez wrote in the post’s caption. Everyone have a happy new year, and be optimistic moving forward.
After Fernandez flew back home, the club’s management Roger Schmidt declared that there would be “no exceptions” for players travelling during the New Year.
In order to recover in between games, the coach stipulated that his team would stay in Portugal.
The regulations apply to all players because we are a professional football team, Schmidt stated.
To be prepared for the next game, it is crucial for all players to relax in between games. To that, there are no exceptions.
Since the beginning, Benfica has indicated they do not want to move Fernandez during the January transfer window and have extended an upgraded contract to him.
The club is aware that the World Cup winner’s attention has been drawn by the allure of accepting a rich offer to relocate to London.
