Chelsea has defended midfielder Conor Gallagher from racism allegations after a public uproar occasioned by a video showing the 24-year-old English international snubbing a ballboy of African descent in the tunnel and greeting a Caucasian ballboy before their game with Burnley over the weekend.

The club has stated that Chelsea is an inclusive club that accepts people from different backgrounds and is proud of their diversity. They have indicated that they will not accept any defamatory comments targeted at its captain.

“Chelsea Football Club is aware of a video clip circulating on social media from Saturday’s fixture against Burnley, which has been taken considerably out of context,” the statement read in part. “The subsequent level of abuse and defamatory comments directed towards Conor Gallagher is completely unacceptable. We are proud to be a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities, and identities feel welcome.”

Chelsea prides itself on its history of creating “industry-leading equality, diversity, and inclusion” programs. In March 2021, the club launched the NO TO HATE initiative, which they say is a club-wide equality, diversity, and inclusion program aiming to educate our club, communities, and the wider football industry, and be a leading force in the fight against all forms of hate, including racism, homophobia, sexism, and religious intolerance.

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