Soccer players are public figures and without the fans’ support, they are nothing. Often, the players get much backlash from the supporters due to a number of reasons. And now Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher has also found himself in the same situation.
Fans often berate a player, mainly on social media nowadays, after a poor game or poor attitude towards their club or team. However, other unintentional actions can also earn them negative criticism from the fans, which is sometimes uncalled for.
Why is Conor Gallagher facing brutal backlash?
A recent video went viral of Conor Gallagher, which has earned him much backlash. The incident happened in the tunnel before the game against Burnley at Stamford Bridge last week. Gallagher was lining up in the tunnel for the match, and was preparing to take a child mascot on to the field.
However, another child mascot was waiting for him and spread his hand out for a high five for very long time. But Gallagher did not seem to notice it despite looking in that direction. He did tap him on the shoulder and then took the hand of another child mascot.
I really can't understand this from Conor Gallagher I don't know if he was aware of the boy or not but this is disgusting
— BALLACK (@B_ALLACK) April 3, 2024
pic.twitter.com/GVBBoouIZO
Fans were baffled by the act, with many claiming it was intentional and inconsiderate of the player to do so. Many started to abuse the player on his social media, calling him out for not shaking the little mascot’s hand. Some of the fans even felt he was racist, as the child mascot in the incident was black. The fact that the other mascot was white and was even hugged by Conor did not make things look good for him in front of fans.
The player himself has not commented on the matter, but his manager, Mauricio Pochettino, came out in his defense. Later images also appear to show that Conor had in fact taken both child mascots on to the pitch, which makes the criticism towards him undeserved.
Chelsea’s official statement on Conor Gallagher incident
Seeing the player get a lot of hate on social media platforms, Chelsea decided to release a statement to protect Conor Gallagher. The club said that the video clip was taken out of context and that the criticism and abuse of the player were not acceptable.
The statement read, “Chelsea Football Club is aware of a video clip circulating on social media from Saturday’s fixture against Burnley, which has been taken considerably out of context. The subsequent level of abuse and defamatory comments directed towards Conor Gallagher is completely unacceptable.”
🚨🔵 Chelsea official statement.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 3, 2024
“Chelsea Football Club is aware of a video clip circulating on social media from Saturday’s fixture against Burnley, which has been taken considerably out of context”.
“The subsequent level of abuse and defamatory comments directed towards Conor… pic.twitter.com/HbKyqyTfdQ
They also said that Chelsea is a very diverse club and that everyone is welcome there, “We are proud to be a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome.”
It does feel like the player is getting too much hatred for a simple and unintentional slight. Conor Gallagher is also one of the few players that may have to leave the club in the coming days for FFP issues. For now, he will prepare himself for the game against Manchester United tomorrow.
