Burnley FC 'disgusted' by racist abuse of Hannibal on social media

Shortly after this afternoon’s 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, Hannibal took to his Instagram page to post a screenshot of a private message he had received.

The message, sent from an anonymous account, said “u terrorist monkey” alongside three monkey emojis.

In a separate post, Hannibal wrote: “It’s 2026 and there [sic] still ppl like that...educate yourself and your kids pls”.

The club has swiftly reported the message to Meta, the owner of Instagram.

They also released the following statement: “Everyone at Burnley FC is disgusted by the online racist abuse directed at Hannibal following today’s Premier League fixture.

“There is no place for this in our society and we condemn it unreservedly.

“The club continues to be unequivocal in its stance – we have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination.

“The club has reported the post to Instagram's parent company, Meta, and expects strong support from them, together with the Premier League and the Police, and will work to ensure that the individual responsible is identified and investigated.

“Hannibal will receive the full backing from the club and from the Burnley fans who we have already seen condemning the abuse.

“There is no room for racism.”

The Premier League also released a statement of their own, confirming they’ve been in contact with both the player and the Clarets.

"We join Burnley in strongly condemning the abhorrent racist abuse directed at Hannibal and have offered our full support to the player and club,” they said.

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“Football is for everyone and there is no place for discriminatory abuse in our game or anywhere in society.

“Any individuals identified and found guilty of discrimination will face the strongest possible consequences, including club bans and legal prosecution. We encourage supporters to report abuse both at stadiums and online here.”

Hannibal has previously been the victim of racist abuse from Preston North End striker Milutin Osmajic, who was subsequently hit with a nine-game ban.

Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana was also the subject of racist abuse online after being sent off in the 72nd minute.

“Chelsea Football Club is appalled and disgusted by vile online racist abuse directed at Wesley Fofana,” the Blues said.

“The targeted racist abuse Wes has been subjected to following today’s Premier League fixture against Burnley is abhorrent and will not be tolerated.

“Such behaviour is completely unacceptable and runs counter to the values of the game and everything we stand for as a club. There is no room for racism.

“We stand unequivocally with Wes. He has our full support, as do all our players who are too often forced to endure this hatred simply for doing their job. We will work with the relevant authorities and platforms in identifying the perpetrators and take the strongest possible action.”

The incidents come just a few days after Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr was allegedly racially abused during their Champions League tie against Benfica – which was condemned by former Burnley boss Vincent Kompany.

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