Hannibal Mejbri and Wesley Fofana respond to racist abuse after the Chelsea-Burnley match

Burnley Midfielder Hannibal Mejbri and Chelsea Defender Wesley Fofana has spoken out on social media after they were both subjected to racist abuse following the teams’ Premier League match on Saturday.

Chelsea’s French defender Fofana, who was sent off for a second yellow card in the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, shared several screenshots of private messages he received on Instagram after the match.

He then posted a message that read: “2026, it will still be the same, nothing changes. These people will never be punished.

“You do big campaigns against racism, but no one actually does anything.”

Earlier, Burnley’s Tunisian international Mejbri shared a photo of an offensive message on Instagram and wrote in another post: “It is 2026 and there are still people like this. Educate yourselves and your children, please.”

Chelsea said they were “appalled and disgusted” by the “despicable” abuse, saying it was “abhorrent and will not be tolerated”.

They added in a statement: “Such behavior is completely unacceptable and goes against 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 of our players who too often have to endure this hatred simply for doing their jobs. We will work with the relevant authorities and platforms to identify the perpetrators and take the strongest possible action.”

Burnley said they were “disgusted” by the abuse, adding in a statement: “The club has informed Instagram’s parent company, Meta, of the post and expects strong support from them, along with the Premier League and the police, and will work to ensure the person responsible is identified and investigated.”

“There is no place for this in our society and we condemn it without reservation.

“The club remains clear in its position – we have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination.

“Hannibal will have the full support of the club and the Burnley fans, who we have already seen condemning the abuse. There is no room for racism.”

The English Premier League condemned these violations, saying that “any individual identified and found guilty of discrimination will face the severest possible consequences, including club bans and legal prosecution.”

This is the latest incident of racist abuse towards players this season, and comes days after the alleged racist attack on Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior during a Champions League match against Benfica, which is being investigated by UEFA.

Last November, a BBC investigation found that more than 2,000 highly offensive social media posts – including death and rape threats – were sent about managers and players in the Premier League and Women’s Super League in one weekend.

In August, Liverpool’s Premier League season opener between Liverpool and Bournemouth was stopped at half-time after then-Cherries striker Antoine Simeño reported being subjected to racist abuse by someone in the Anfield fans.

A Liverpool man has denied the abuse and is due to stand trial in April.

In January, Newcastle United said it had contacted the police after midfielder Joe Willock was subjected to “disgusting” racist abuse and “deeply disturbing threats” on social media.

Tottenham striker Matthijs Tille was subjected to racist abuse on social media after he was one of the Tottenham players who missed out on a Super Cup penalty shootout loss to Paris Saint-Germain in August.

England defender Jess Carter was also the target of racist abuse during the Euro 2025 Championship in July.

England international players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were subjected to racism following the Euro 2020 final.

BBC Sport has contacted Meta for a response.