Chelsea have taken action after news of Joao Pedro's current injury absence appeared to be prematurely revealed online
Joao Pedro, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer of Chelsea celebrate the after winning the Premier League 2026/27 match between Fulham and Chelsea FC
Chelsea star Joao Pedro's injury appeared to be leaked by Morgan Rogers(Image: Getty)
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Chelsea staff have reportedly been warned about leaking team news via Fantasy Premier League after Joao Pedro's injury appeared to have been leaked on the platform. Several Blues staff members, as well as Pedro's team-mate Morgan Rogers, seemed to inadvertently reveal he was injured last month via their FPL team selections.
Xabi Alonso's side started the season in flying form but have been missing the contributions of their Brazilian ace lately. He picked up a quad injury ahead of their 2-0 defeat to Tottenham last month and was a surprise omission from that matchday squad. Pedro could return after the international break.
However, to several FPL content creators, Pedro being sidelined came as no shock. Some claimed to have seen evidence in the team choices of Chelsea staff - and £117million summer signing Rogers - that suggested Pedro would miss the game. It is said players removed him from their teams because of this, at which point the club had not made an announcement about the injury yet.
Following this supposed leak, Chelsea have now sent an email to their members of staff warning them not to disclose confidential team news ahead of matches via the players they pick in FPL as well as other gaming platforms, the BBC reports.
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After the game against Spurs, manager Alonso was asked about the leaks. The Spaniard had no idea what was going on and replied: "I am not into the fantasy team thing, so I didn't know that."
Joao Pedro of Chelsea celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Chelsea FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on August 30, 2026 in London, England
Pedro's injury was supposedly leaked(Image: Getty)
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No further restrictions are expected regarding FPL at Chelsea, as this incident is being treated as an isolated case. Awareness amongst players and staff is all that reportedly needs to be raised.
Chelsea are not the only side that have been concerned by FPL. According to reports, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has introduced some rules regarding how his stars play the game after winger Christos Tzolis seemingly leaked that he would start a match against Liverpool.
At the start of the month, the Gunners travelled to Anfield and ahead of the 1-0 win, Tzolis is said to have included himself in his own FPL team. This correctly suggested he would start the fixture, and he did. These reports are unconfirmed.
Christos Tzolis of Arsenal
Tzolis started against the Reds(Image: Getty)
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Issues involving the game stem back years, too. In 2021, Aston Villa were all set to face off against Leicester City in a crucial league game when rumours began to swirl that star player Jack Grealish, now of Manchester City and on loan at Everton, had picked up an injury.
The origin of this rumour just days before kick-off was multiple Villa players and staff - including the club physiotherapist - transferring Grealish out of their fantasy line-ups. Grealish did miss the game and Leicester won 2-1.
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To rub salt into the wounds, then-Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers admitted he made tactical adjustments based on the rumours. Reports suggest Villa banned players and staff from the game following this severe tactical leak.
With over 11 million accounts active on Fantasy Premier League, the Premier League has no official regulation barring active players from competing, leaving individual clubs to manage the risk of insider team leaks themselves.