Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana subjected to vile racist abuse in aftermath of Arsenal defeat as Blues vow to take action

Fofana has taken to social media to share screenshots of racist messages he received after Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.

Chelsea have been quick to react to the abuse and have pledged to work with social media companies in a bid to discover the identities of those involved.

"Chelsea Football Club is appalled and disgusted by the recent rise in online racial abuse towards our players," the club said in a statement. "The abuse Wes Fofana has been subjected to following yesterday’s fixture is abhorrent and will not be tolerated. Wes and all our players have our full support. We will work with the relevant authorities in identifying the perpetrators and take the strongest possible action."

On top of the statement from his club, Fofana spoke out on Instagram, saying: "2025, stupidity and cruelty no longer hide. It's not just football, it's not just a 'game' when some believe that their skin color makes them superior to others. It's time for things to change, for platforms to take action, and for everyone to take responsibility."

Fofana played 86 minutes of the defeat at the Emirates Stadium and was in the spotlight for a challenge on Declan Rice. The defender escaped a red card for the tackle which angered some Arsenal fans and saw former referee Dermot Gallagher tell Sky Sports that Fofana was fortunate to stay on: “I think this was really really lucky throughout the game, it wasn’t just this, he committed a number of offences. Ironically he got yellow carded later in the game for delaying the restart but I don’t think that’s a red card if it’s a yellow card he can’t argue and if he gets a yellow card, it may stop him from committing a number of the challenges he committed after.”

Fofana is sadly not the first player to be subjected to such abuse this season. Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure, Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal, Fulham's Calvin Bassey, AC Milan's Kyle Walker and Manchester City's Khadija Shaw have all been targeted in recent months which highlights the recent rise of online abuse directed at players.