OMM Newsroom
Chelsea has warned staff about the risk of confidential club information being shared through fantasy football and other public gaming platforms. BBC Sport reported that the warning followed Joao Pedro’s omission from the squad before the Premier League match against Tottenham. Chelsea lost the game 2-0.
The club had not officially announced in advance that the forward would miss the match after sustaining an injury to his quadriceps. In fantasy football, participants build virtual teams from real players and score points based on their performances in actual matches. They can change their teams before a round begins, including removing injured players.
Several popular bloggers have claimed to have evidence that footballer Morgan Rogers and some Chelsea employees removed Joao Pedro from their virtual teams before kickoff. After the incident, the club’s management sent staff a letter reminding them of the potential consequences of using insider information in fantasy football and other public gaming services.
Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso said he was unaware of the situation after the defeat to Tottenham: “I’m not interested in fantasy football, so I didn’t know about this.” The club considers the incident an isolated case and does not currently plan to impose additional restrictions on staff.
