Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana was sent off after two yellow cards in the 1-1 draw with Burnley
Bruna Reis and Mark Wakefield
07:47, 22 Feb 2026
Wesley Fofana of Chelsea and Hannibal Mejbri of Burnley
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Wesley Fofana of Chelsea and Hannibal Mejbri of Burnley(Image: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
Chelsea have issued a statement condemning the racist abuse directed at defender Wesley Fofana following his sending off against Burnley. The Clarets also issued their own statement after Hannibal Mejbri was also racially abused online.
Fofana was shown the red card after receiving a yellow in each half, with Chelsea issuing a statement on Saturday evening.
The statement read: "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."
Referee Lewis Smith shows a red card to Wesley Fofana of Chelsea
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Wesley Fofana was sent off during Chelsea's draw with Burnley(Image: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Fofana took to social media to reveal some of the messages he received. In five separate posts, he shared screenshots of users sending him racial slurs and offensive emojis.
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"2026, it's still the same thing, nothing changes," Fofana wrote. "These people are never punished. You create big campaigns against racism, but nobody actually does anything."
Chelsea ended up drawing 1-1 with Burnley, as Scott Parker's team levelled the score in extra time courtesy of Zian Flemming. Some fans pointed fingers at Fofana for the outcome.
However, Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has defended Fofana. "That wasn't on Wesley, that was on our performance," Rosenior said.
"From the first goal, we lacked decision, I wanted us to create wave after wave of attack. We were too safe in possession."
At the time of his dismissal, Chelsea were leading thanks to Joao Pedro's first-half goal. Nonetheless, the Clarets managed to snatch a last-minute equaliser through Flemming after Fofana had been sent off.
Burnley's Hannibal Mejbri and Chelsea's Wesley Fofana
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Burnley's Hannibal Mejbri and Chelsea's Wesley Fofana(Image: Andrew Kearns - CameraSport via Getty Images)
Burnley also issued a statement after Hannibal was subject to racist abuse online after the draw with Chelsea.
"Everyone at Burnley FC is disgusted by the online racist abuse directed at Hannibal following today’s Premier League fixture," the statement read.
"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.
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"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."
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