CHELSEA WARNS STAFF AGAINST LEAKING TEAM NEWS THROUGH FANTASY PREMIER LEAGUE
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By ‘Balogun Ibrahim
Chelsea have cautioned their staff against accidentally leaking confidential team information through their Fantasy Premier League selections following concerns that forward Joao Pedro’s injury was disclosed before the club officially announced it.
According to a BBC Sport report published on Monday, the club sent an email to employees highlighting the potential consequences of using insider information while participating in Fantasy Premier League and other public gaming platforms.
The warning followed allegations that Pedro’s absence from Chelsea’s squad for their 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham was revealed through fantasy team selections before the match.
The Brazilian forward was a surprise absentee from the encounter at Stamford Bridge due to a quad injury, which the club subsequently confirmed.
Several prominent Fantasy Premier League content creators reportedly claimed to have seen evidence that Aston Villa forward Morgan Rogers and some Chelsea staff members had removed Pedro from their fantasy teams before kick-off, despite the absence of an official injury update.
Reacting to questions about the alleged leak after the defeat, Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso told BBC Sport that he was unaware of the development.
“I am not into the fantasy team thing, so I didn’t know that,” he said.
Since taking charge of Chelsea in the summer, the 44-year-old manager has generally been cautious about disclosing injury-related information during press conferences, the report noted.
The latest incident adds to previous cases involving the unauthorised disclosure of confidential team information at the club.
During Liam Rosenior’s four-month spell as Chelsea manager last season, the team’s line-ups were reportedly leaked ahead of both legs of their Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
The report also recalled an incident involving former Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella, whose barber disclosed on social media that Pedro and Cole Palmer would miss a trip to Brighton last season after discussing the matter with the player.
Despite the concerns, Chelsea is not expected to impose additional restrictions on staff participation in Fantasy Premier League. The club reportedly considers the latest incident an isolated case that can be addressed through increased awareness among players and employees.
BBC Sport also reported other alleged incidents involving players at Arsenal, Liverpool, Leicester City and Newcastle United making changes to their fantasy teams that revealed potentially confidential information.
One notable case involved former Aston Villa forward Jack Grealish, whose absence from the squad ahead of a February 2021 fixture against Leicester City was reportedly exposed through Fantasy Premier League activity.
Leicester’s then-manager, Brendan Rodgers, later disclosed that he had heard rumours about Grealish’s injury before the match, which his team won.
More than 11 million people reportedly participate in Fantasy Premier League, making the game an increasingly significant part of the wider football industry.
Although the Premier League maintains strict regulations against gambling, it does not have specific guidelines governing how players and club personnel should participate in Fantasy Premier League.
Responsibility for managing such matters is instead left largely to individual clubs.
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