Football Mar 08, 2026

Wesley Fofana and Hannibal subjected to racist abuse after Chelsea's draw against Burnley

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By Admin
Sports Journalist
Wesley Fofana and Hannibal subjected to racist abuse after Chelsea's draw against Burnley

Wesley Fofana was racially abused on Instagram after being sent off in Chelsea's draw with Burnley on Saturday, with Clarets midfielder Hannibal Mejbri also subjected to racist abuse.

Fofana was sent off in the 72nd minute of and shared several racist messages he received following the match.

He also 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."

A Chelsea statement added: "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."

Your Site News understands Lancashire Police are working with Burnley and the UK Football Policing Unit as they investigate the racist abuse sent to Mejbri on Instagram.

A Burnley statement read: "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."

Meta have removed the messages and accounts of the Instagram users who racially abused Fofana and Hannibal.

Instagram's parent company told Your Site News they are in contact with both clubs to further investigate.

A spokesperson said: "No one should be subjected to racist abuse and we remove this content when we find it.

"We have removed the violating messages and accounts which have been reported, and we're continuing our investigation whilst in direct contact with the clubs.

"We've developed several tools to help protect people from having to see abuse, including Hidden Words, which filters offensive comments and message requests.

"No one thing will stop racist behaviour overnight, but we'll continue working to protect our community from abuse and cooperate with police investigations."

Kick It Out's statement read: "We stand alongside Wesley Fofana and Hannibal Mejbri, who once again have both been targeted with vile abuse online.

"Players are standing up to discrimination and we've had record reports to Kick It Out from across football this season, but we recognise the frustration in how it continues to fester online.

"Words matter but actions are more important. Football is working together to tackle this issue alongside the UK Football Policing Unit and Ofcom, but social media companies must do more to offer protections to players and help improve accountability when incidents occur.

"Those who face this disgusting abuse must always be the priority."

The incident comes in the same week that

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