Chelsea have vehemently denounced the racial abuse directed at defender Wesley Fofana following their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Fofana, who played 85 minutes in the match, shared screenshots of the hateful comments and direct messages he received on Instagram, highlighting the racist remarks targeting his skin colour.
In response, Chelsea issued a statement expressing their outrage and disgust at the increasing online racial abuse towards their players. The statement read: "Chelsea Football Club is appalled and disgusted by the recent rise in online racial abuse towards our players. The abuse Wes Fofana has been subjected to following yesterday's fixture is abhorrent and will not be tolerated."
The club pledged to support Fofana and all their players, vowing to work with authorities to identify the perpetrators and take strong action.
Fofana also took to social media to address the issue, posting a powerful message that read: "2025, stupidity and cruelty no longer hide... It's not just football, it's not just a 'game' when some believe that their skin colour makes them superior to others. It's time for things to change, for platforms to take action, and for everyone to take responsibility."
Fofana found himself at the centre of multiple contentious incidents during the game, not least when he appeared to stamp on Declan Rice in the earlier stages.
He managed to avoid receiving a caution from referee Chris Kavanagh until a later episode for delaying play for Arsenal by throwing the ball away following another clash with Rice.
Chelsea are now taking action to eliminate the offending messages and are coordinating with various social media platforms to extinguish the harassment.
Fofana has received support from his fellow players and club staff, who are staunchly confronting the matter and are intent on forging partnerships with the relevant authorities to obliterate it completely, according to their full statement.
Arsenal secured victory over Chelsea courtesy of an early header from Mikel Merino. This defeat leaves Enzo Maresca's team fourth in the Premier League table, yet they face the risk of being overtaken by Newcastle, who can move above them with their game in hand.
This article first appeared on Football.London.