Chelsea warn staff over Fantasy Premier League team leaks

According to BBC Sport, Chelsea have warned staff to be careful not to reveal team news by accident through Fantasy Premier League. An email reminds them of the consequences of using inside information in this game and other public platforms. The warning follows the 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham, when João Pedro was a surprise absentee and his absence seemed to show in team selections. It later emerged he had a quad injury.

Several popular Fantasy creators claimed that Morgan Rogers and several members of staff had removed João Pedro from their teams before kick-off, even though the club had made no announcement about his injury. Asked by BBC Sport, Xabi Alonso said he was unaware of the situation: “I am not into the fantasy team thing, so I didn't know that.”

Chelsea do not expect further restrictions, as they see the incident as isolated and manageable through greater awareness. There have been earlier leaks: last season, team selections were leaked before both Champions League legs against Paris Saint-Germain, and Marc Cucurella's barber revealed on social media that João Pedro and Cole Palmer would miss the trip to Brighton.