Chelsea Condemn Racist Abuse During Youth Match in Azerbaijan
The incident occurred after 17-year-old striker Sol Gordon opened the scoring
Chelsea have strongly condemned alleged racist abuse directed at their players during a UEFA Youth League match against Qarabag in Azerbaijan.
The incident occurred after 17-year-old striker Sol Gordon opened the scoring in the 57th minute at the Azersun Stadium in Baku. As the Chelsea players celebrated near a section of the stands, some home supporters reportedly ran toward them, with eyewitnesses claiming they heard and saw monkey gestures from at least one Qarabag fan.
Play was halted briefly as players voiced their concerns to Ukrainian referee Dmytro Kubriak, with head coach Calum McFarlane and staff joining the discussions. Although it appeared Chelsea might withdraw from the match, they ultimately decided to continue and went on to win 5–0.
Jesse Derry scored twice despite being booked for a provocative celebration, while Shim Mheuka and Frankie Runham added late goals to complete the dominant victory.
In an official statement, Chelsea said:
“We are aware of an incident during today’s UEFA Youth League match in which, after scoring, several of our players were subjected to racist abuse from an individual in the crowd.
Racism and all forms of discriminatory behaviour are completely unacceptable and have no place in football or in society. We strongly condemn the actions of the individual responsible. Our players have the full support of everyone at the club, and we have raised the incident immediately with the UEFA match delegate and the home club. We expect this matter to be investigated fully under UEFA’s disciplinary procedures.”
The club’s firm stance reflects its ongoing commitment to fighting racism and supporting players who experience discrimination on and off the pitch.
