‘Nothing changes’ – Wesley Fofana exposes horrific racial abuse on social media after red card for Chelsea
Wesley Fofana has revealed multiple racist messages he received on social media since Chelsea’s draw with Burnley.
The Blues defender was sent off during his side’s disappointing 1-1 stalemate at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.
Liam Rosenior‘s side conceded in the third minute of added time to give up three points after Fofana had been shown a red card.
He was booked after 34 minutes of the game before going on to receive a second yellow card after 72 minutes.
It was a damaging result for Chelsea in their pursuit of Champions League football next season, with things now being dampened further post-match following Fofana’s social media post.
The Frenchman exposed some horrific messages he had received after the game on his Instagram story.
In five separate posts, he showed screenshots of users messaging him with racial slurs and offensive emojis.
Fofana then went on to comment on the images he had previously shared of the terrible abuse he had faced.
He wrote: “2026, it’s still the same thing, nothing changes.
“These people are never punished. You create big campaigns against racism, but nobody actually does anything.”
Fofana was also blamed for the draw with Burnley after being sent off by the abusive fans who had messaged him, but his manager defended him in his post-match press conference.
Rosenior said: “That wasn’t on Wesley, that was on our performance. From the first goal, we lacked decision, I wanted us to create wave after wave of attack. We were too safe in possession.”
Chelsea statement
Chelsea released a statement on the abuse Fofana has received following their centre-back’s social media posts.
The Blues wrote: “Chelsea Football Club is appalled and disgusted by vile online racist abuse directed at Wesley Fofana.
“The targeted racist abuse Wes has been subjected to following today’s Premier League fixture against Burnley is abhorrent and will not be tolerated.
“Such behaviour is completely unacceptable and runs counter to the values of the game and everything we stand for as a club. There is no room for racism.
“We stand unequivocally with Wes. He has our full support, as do all our players who are too often forced to endure this hatred simply for doing their job.
“We will work with the relevant authorities and platforms in identifying the perpetrators and take the strongest possible action.”
Multiple incidents
Sadly, the abuse Fofana received was not the only incident reported in the aftermath of the clash between Chelsea and Burnley.
Hannibal Mejbri was also racially abused online after the game.
Burnley released a statement on social media to condemn the abuse, writing: “Everyone at Burnley FC is disgusted by the online racist abuse directed at Hannibal following today’s Premier League fixture.
“There is no place for this in our society and we condemn it unreservedly. The Club continues to be unequivocal in its stance – we have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination.
“The Club has reported the post to Instagram’s parent company, Meta, and expects strong support from them, together with the Premier League and the Police, and will work to ensure that the individual responsible is identified and investigated.
“Hannibal will receive the full backing from the Club and from the Burnley fans, who we have already seen condemning the abuse. There is no room for racism.”
The Premier League also posted a statement on X about the incident surrounding abuse sent towards Mejbri.
They wrote: “We join Burnley in strongly condemning the abhorrent racist abuse directed at Hannibal and have offered our full support to the player and club.
“Football is for everyone and there is no place for discriminatory abuse in our game or anywhere in society.
“Any individuals identified and found guilty of discrimination will face the strongest possible consequences, including club bans and legal prosecution.
“We encourage supporters to report abuse both at stadiums and online.”
The Premier League included a link that tells fans how best to report racism in football and you can find that HERE.
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