The footage in question depicts Gallagher standing in the Stamford Bridge tunnel before his team’s Premier League match against Burnley last week. A young mascot extends a hand for a high five, but Gallagher only lightly taps their shoulder before turning to greet another mascot behind him.
This video sparked allegations of racism against Gallagher, with several fans on social media suggesting that he ignored the first mascot because of their race. However, Chelsea has released a statement refuting such claims, asserting that the video was misinterpreted.
“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,” a club statement read.
“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 manager Mauricio Pochettino addressed the issue during his recent press conference, expressing his dismay: “This upset me so much because no one wants to do something like this with this intention. He did really well with both mascots and when you are there, playing football, focusing on many things, as you start a game, sometimes that can happen.”
“But people try to find things like this to create a mess. I know Conor, come on, he never has that intention. Conor is a great kid who cares about everything. I hate people who use social media to abuse like this. It is so easy [for them].”
The 24-year-old midfielder aims to move past the criticism as Chelsea prepares to face Manchester United in the Premier League on Thursday. Despite being unbeaten in their last five matches, Chelsea experienced a disappointing 2-2 draw against 10-man Burnley in their previous outing.
Conor Gallagher
Conor Gallagher
EnglandThis season he played in total 27 times for 2249 minutes for Premier League.
Conor Gallagher scored 2 goals for Chelsea. He procured 5 assists. He received 6 yellow cards and 1 red card.
His team is currently 12th in Premier League. In the last match Chelsea drew 2-2 against Burnley.
Chelsea performance and stats
Chelsea
Chelsea is currently 12th in the Premier League with 40 points.
In the last 28 games, it has won 11 times, drawn 7 times, and lost 10 times. In its last match, Chelsea drawn 2-2 against Burnley.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 49 goals and conceding 47.
Chelsea will play the next match in Premier League against Manchester United on Thursday 4th of April in London. The prediction is Chelsea winning the match.
