Wesley Fofana and Hannibal Mejbri respond to online racist abuse

Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana said “nothing changes” and “people are never punished” after he and Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri were sent racist abuse following Saturday’s 1-1 draw.

Both players were targets of online attacks in the hours after the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge and shared images of messages they had been sent privately over Instagram.

It came days after UEFA began an investigation into claims by Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior that he was racially abused on the pitch by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during a Champions League game in Lisbon.

On Saturday night, Fofana – who had been sent off late in the game in west London for two yellow cards – posted screenshots of messages he had been sent and wrote on Instagram: “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.”

Mejbri had earlier also shared abusive messages he had received and wrote on his Instagram story: “It’s 2026 and there are still people like that. Educate yourself and your kids, please.”

Chelsea said the abuse “is completely unacceptable and runs counter to the values of the game and everything we stand for as a club,” and that “there is no room for racism”.

A club statement added: “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.”

Burnley said: “There is no place for this in our society and we condemn it unreservedly.”

Football’s response to allegations of racism has been heavily scrutinised in recent days following the incident in Lisbon.

Benfica boss Jose Mourinho in his post-match comments accused Vinicius of provoking what happened while the Portuguese club claimed there was a defamation campaign against their player.

The match on Tuesday was halted for 10 minutes early in the second half after Vinicius refused to return to the pitch after becoming suddenly and visibly upset with something apparently said to him by Prestianni, who covered his mouth with his shirt during the incident.

Saturday’s Premier League game ended level after Burnley’s Zian Flemming headed a stoppage-time equaliser to deny Chelsea, who dominated up until Fofana’s red card.

The defender was dismissed in the 72nd minute for a second booking after making a late challenge on James Ward-Prowse.

Earlier, Joao Pedro had scored in the fourth minute to seemingly put Liam Rosenior’s side on course for victory but as so often this season under successive managers they lacked killer instinct and failed to finish off Scott Parker’s struggling team.

Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out said in a statement on Sunday: “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.”