Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana said ‘nothing changes’ and ‘individuals are never punished’ after he and Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri were sent racist abuse following Saturday’s 1-1 draw.
Each players were targets of online attacks within the hours after the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge and shared images of messages they’d been sent privately over Instagram.
It got here days after UEFA began an investigation into claims by Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior that he was racially abused on the pitch by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during a Champions League game in Lisbon.
On Saturday night, Fofana – who had been sent off late in the sport for 2 yellow cards – posted screenshots of messages he had been sent and wrote on Instagram: ‘2026, it’s still the identical thing, nothing changes. These individuals are never punished.
‘You create big campaigns against racism, but no person actually does anything.’
Mejbri had earlier also shared abusive messages he had received and wrote on his Instagram story: ‘It’s 2026 and there are still people like that. Educate yourself and your kids, please.’
Chelsea said the abuse ‘is totally unacceptable and runs counter to the values of the sport and all the pieces we stand for as a club,’ and that ‘there isn’t any room for racism’.
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A club statement added: ‘We stand unequivocally with Wes. He has our full support, as do all our players who’re too often forced to endure this hatred simply for doing their job.
‘We are going to work with the relevant authorities and platforms in identifying the perpetrators and take the strongest possible motion.’
Burnley said: ‘There is no such thing as a place for this in our society and we condemn it unreservedly.’
Football’s response to allegations of racism has been heavily scrutinised in recent days following the incident in Lisbon.
Benfica boss Jose Mourinho in his post-match comments accused Vinicius of upsetting what happened while the Portuguese club claimed there was a defamation campaign against their player.
The match on Tuesday was halted for 10 minutes early within the second half after Vinicius refused to return to the pitch after becoming suddenly and visibly upset with something apparently said to him by Prestianni, who covered his mouth along with his shirt throughout the incident.
Saturday’s Premier League game ended level after Burnley’s Zian Flemming headed a stoppage-time equaliser to disclaim Chelsea, who dominated up until Fofana’s red card.
The defender was dismissed within the 72nd minute for a second booking after making a late challenge on James Ward-Prowse.
Earlier, Joao Pedro had scored within the fourth minute to seemingly put Liam Rosenior’s side heading in the right direction of victory but as so often this season under successive managers they lacked killer instinct and did not finish off Scott Parker’s struggling team
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