Article by Dragoș Petrescu – Published Sunday, February 22, 2026, 2:35 p.m. / Updated Sunday, February 22, 2026, 2:40 p.m.
After the match between Chelsea and Burnley this Saturday, ended 1-1 at Stamford Bridge, Wesley Fofana (25 years) and Hannibal Mejbri (23) received serious insults on social networks. The two clubs and Premier League bosses reacted immediately.
The full schedule of round #27 of the Premier League
A few days away from the scandal that broke out in the Champions League during the match between Benfica and Real Madrid, when Vinicius Junior was called a “monkey” by Gianluca Prestianni, a new unfortunate incident gripped the world of the royal sport.
Wesley Fofana and Hannibal Mejbri, victims of racism on social media!
This time, however, the insults were not addressed during a match, but after it was over. It is about the duel between Chelsea and Burnley, from round number #27 in the Premier League, ended in a draw, score 1-1.
The players targeted were Wesley Fofana, the Londoners' French defender, who left his side 10 in the 72nd minute after picking up a second yellow card, and Burnley's Tunisian midfielder Hannibal Mejbri.
Crude insults appeared online, especially on the Instagram platform, where Fofana was called a “monkey” and Mejbri was labeled a “terrorist” by several users of the platform.
Later, the players made these comments public, and shortly after, the clubs where the two victims are active reacted, also through social networks, so that in the end, the leaders of the Premier League also had an important word to say about this event.
Official statement from the Premier League: “It's another sad day for football”
The first to react were Chelsea, who expressed their support for Wesley Fofana through a post published on the “X” platform.
Chelsea London Football Club is appalled and disgusted by the online racist abuse of Wesley Fofana.
The racist abuse Wes was subjected to after today's game against Burnley is abhorrent and will not be tolerated.
Such behavior is completely unacceptable and goes against the values of the sport and everything we stand for as a club.
There is no place for racism. We support Wes unequivocally. He has our full support, as do all the players who are too often forced to endure this hate just for doing their job.
We will work with relevant authorities and platforms to identify the perpetrators and take the toughest possible action.
– The message published by Chelsea
A short time later came the “statement” from Burnley.
All Burnley FC representatives are outraged by the racist abuse of players Hannibal Mejbri and Wesley Fofana online.
This type of behavior has no place in our society and we condemn it unequivocally.
– The message published by Burnley
Last but not least, the English Premier League's official “X” page shared Chelsea's post, expressing support for the two players involved in the unfortunate event.
It's another sad day for football! We stand with Wesley Fofana and Hannibal Mejbri and condemn the vile racist abuse the two footballers were subjected to on social media.
Racism has no place in our game or anywhere else in society. We will continue to do everything we can to support people who face such discrimination.
FOOTBALL IS FOR THE WHOLE WORLD!
– The message published by the Premier League
