Chelsea issue statement to condemn vile racist abuse aimed at Wesley Fofana

Fofana received two yellow cards in the 1-1 draw and was sent off late on in the game. The defender then shared the abuse he had received on Instagram and added his own message which read: "2026, it's still the same thing, nothing changes. These people are never punished. You create big campaigns against racism, but nobody actually does anything."

Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri also revealed he was subjected to racist abuse after the game which also led to a strong response from the Clarets: "The club has reported the post to Instagram's parent company, Meta, and expects strong support from them, together with the Premier League and the police, and will work to ensure that the individual responsible is identified and investigated. There is no place for this in our society and we condemn it unreservedly. The club continues to be unequivocal in its stance – we have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination. Hannibal will receive the full backing from the club and from the Burnley fans, who we have already seen condemning the abuse. There is no room for racism."

Chelsea have also issued a statement in response to the abuse aimed at Fofana. The club said: "Chelsea Football Club is appalled and disgusted by vile online racist abuse directed at Wesley Fofana. The targeted racist abuse Wes has been subjected to following today’s Premier League fixture against Burnley is abhorrent and will not be tolerated. Such behaviour is completely unacceptable and runs counter to the values of the game and everything we stand for as a club. There is no room for racism. We stand unequivocally with Wes. He has our full support, as do all our players who are too often forced to endure this hatred simply for doing their job. We will work with the relevant authorities and platforms in identifying the perpetrators and take the strongest possible action."

The Premier League has offered support in a statement that reads: "We stand alongside Wesley Fofana and Chelsea in condemning the vile racist abuse he has received on social media. Racism has no place in our game or anywhere in society and we will continue to do all we can to support players who are subjected to discriminatory abuse. Football is for everyone."

The incident comes after allegations that Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr was racially abused by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni in the Champions League in midweek. UEFA is investigating the incident which took place at the Estadio da Luz. Brazil's Football Confederation has called for exemplary punishments to be handed out to anyone found guilty of racism. 

A CBF statement said: "The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) expects FIFA to monitor the case and that UEFA will take all necessary measures to identify and punish those responsible for the racial abuse. The CBF also sent a formal request to UEFA for a thorough investigation into the acts committed against Vinícius Jr., taking into account the testimony of the victim and those present, in order to identify and punish those involved in the incident in an exemplary manner."