Burnley and Chelsea have strongly condemned racist abuse aimed at their players, Hannibal Mejbri and Wesley Fofana, following Saturday’s 1-1 Premier League draw between the two sides.
During the match, Fofana was shown a red card after receiving two yellow cards, with the first booking coming from a challenge on Mejbri. After the game, both players revealed they had been targeted with racist messages online.
Mejbri posted a screenshot of the abuse on Instagram, expressing frustration that racism remains prevalent in 2026 and urging people to educate themselves and their children.
Burnley released a statement saying the club was “disgusted” by the online attacks and confirmed the matter had been reported to Instagram’s parent company, Meta Platforms, as well as the Premier League and local authorities. The club reiterated its zero-tolerance policy toward discrimination and emphasized that racism has no place in society.
Fofana also shared screenshots of the hateful messages he received, criticizing the lack of accountability despite ongoing anti-racism campaigns.
Chelsea responded by condemning the “vile” abuse directed at Fofana and pledged to cooperate with authorities and social media platforms to identify those responsible. The club described the behavior as unacceptable and reaffirmed its commitment to standing firmly against racism, offering full support to Fofana and all players subjected to such discrimination.
