Chelsea and Burnley Players Face Vile Racist Attacks Online as Social Media Abuse Crisis Persists
Wesley Fofana and Hannibal Mejbri both issued statements following racist abuse they received on social media after Chelsea's Premier League match against Burnley.
The encounter at Stamford Bridge ended 1–1, thanks to a late equalizer from Burnley's Zion Flemming in stoppage time, and witnessed Chelsea defender Fofana receive his marching orders with approximately 20 minutes left after collecting a second yellow card.
Following a concerning week that saw Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior claim racial abuse from Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni, both Fofana and Mejbri published screenshots of hateful messages they had received online.
"2026, it's still the same situation, nothing has changed. These individuals are never held accountable," Fofana stated after revealing some of the discriminatory messages he encountered. "You launch major anti-racism campaigns, but nobody takes real action."
Mejbri commented: "It's 2026 and there are still individuals like this. Please educate yourselves and your children."
Chelsea, Burnley Release Statements
Chelsea, Burnley Release Statements
Both Chelsea and Burnley issued firm statements backing their players, with the Blues declaring they were "shocked and revolted" by the abuse.
"The deliberate racist harassment Wes has endured following today's Premier League match against Burnley is despicable and will not be accepted," Chelsea stated. "This conduct is entirely unacceptable and contradicts the principles of the sport and everything we represent as a club. There is no place for racism.
"We stand firmly with Wes. He has our complete backing, as do all our players who are frequently forced to suffer this hatred simply for performing their duties. We will collaborate with relevant authorities and platforms to identify the offenders and pursue the strongest possible measures."
Anti-discrimination organization Kick it Out urged authorities to increase efforts in fighting online racial abuse, placing responsibility on social media platforms to take action as well.
"Football is collaborating to address this problem alongside the UK Football Policing Unit and Ofcom, but social media platforms must enhance their efforts to provide protection for players and improve accountability when incidents happen," they stated.
Worrying Trend Continues
Worrying Trend Continues
There has been an overwhelming surge of harassment directed at players during the 2025–26 season. Players have faced racial discrimination not only on social platforms but also from spectators in stadiums, while homophobic insults continue to be widespread in today's game—especially from anonymous social media profiles.
During the week, referee François Letexier activated UEFA's three-step procedure to address racism during Real Madrid's encounter with Benfica. Vinicius Jr had informed him of an alleged slur from Prestianni—a claim the Argentine has rejected—and the match was halted for 10 minutes.
Details were then communicated to the fourth official and following a consultation period, during which Vinicius Jr had exited the field and refused to continue, the match resumed. Harassment from Benfica's fans spread widely on social media following the game, though no announcement was made to the crowd via the public address system.
Vinicius Jr has garnered significant public backing following the incident, including support from Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany. The Belgian strongly criticized José Mourinho's reaction to the events in Lisbon, where he implied Vinicius Jr had provoked trouble by choosing to celebrate his goal—which proved to be the match-winner—by dancing near the corner flag.
Álvaro Arbeloa, Real Madrid's coach, also expressed immense pride in his team's response to the situation. "I've informed the players there's no championship or triumph I could accomplish with Real Madrid that would make me feel more proud than I did last Tuesday," he remarked. "How all the teammates responded in that moment, how they reacted and continued playing, and every single one of their follow-up statements, there's nothing that makes me more proud than witnessing a unified team, a team that defends a teammate."