Wesley Fofana in hot water? Chelsea have words with defender after he was caught speeding & weaving through traffic in Lamborghini in ninth driving offence

According to The Athletic, Chelsea felt it was "important" to bring up Fofana's driving record in a meeting with the player. Off-field matters are often left to players and their representatives to handle, yet the Blues management felt this warranted more of a firm stance. There is no suggestion thet Chelsea have issued any punishment of their own, after the Frenchman was slapped with sanctions in court, but it highlights that the club is taking notice of the problem.

A dashcam in another car recorded Fofana's Lamborghini illegally driving on the hard shoulder - a refuge area on major UK roads - on the A3 Esher bypass in Surrey, as well as weaving between traffic, in April 2025. That footage was passed to local police and he appeared in court last week. The player did not contest the charges and only spoke to confirm his name, address and date of birth. Because the hard shoulder is used by stranded vehicles awaiting assistance, the chance of a collision is high and such reckless behaviour could be fatal in the worst case scenario.

In May, a month after the incident in question, but before appearing in court, Fofana was banned from driving over eight previous speeding charges. He had 47 points on his driving license, with 12 the minimum to be issued a mandatory ban. Even before sanctions for the April offence, Fofana is not allowed to drive until May 2027 - a two-year ban. In the end, he was only issued an 18-month ban for April's illegal driving, so there is no additional punishment in that sense. However, Fofana has now been ordered to undertake 300 hours of unpaid community service, as well as paying £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge. The financial penalty is a drop in the ocean for a professional footballer, but he will have to repay his time debt to society over many months.

Fofana has been warned that he cannot legally drive again until completing an extended driving test from May 2027 onwards. If he was to get behind the wheel again before that time, it is likely he would sent to prison.

"At the end of the disqualification you cannot drive until you pass an extended driving test and if you drive as a disqualified driver you will almost certainly be sent to prison and that is career-ending," the presiding judge told Fofana.

The player has just under four years left on his Chelsea contract. He is manager Enzo Maresca's preferred centre-back starter when fully fit, but has started just three times in the Premier League in 2025-26 after coming into the season lacking fitness and later suffering a concussion.