Chelsea staff warned over Fantasy Premier League use

What the report says

Chelsea have warned staff to be more careful about using Fantasy Premier League and other public gaming platforms after concern that team news may have been exposed through fantasy selections. According to BBC Sport Football, the club sent an email reminding employees that picking or dropping players with inside knowledge could unintentionally reveal who is injured, unavailable or close to returning.

The warning came after Joao Pedro was left out of Chelsea’s 2-0 home defeat by Tottenham, with the absence later linked to a quad injury. BBC Sport reported that some Fantasy Premier League observers believed they saw evidence that forward Morgan Rogers, along with several Chelsea staff members, had removed Pedro from their teams before the match, despite the club not having announced the injury at the time.

The article says Chelsea see the incident as an isolated issue that can be handled through better awareness rather than new restrictions. It also notes the club has dealt with similar leakage concerns before, including team news appearing ahead of matches last season. More broadly, BBC Sport said Fantasy Premier League has become a major part of football culture, with more than 11 million players, while the Premier League does not provide specific rules on whether club insiders should take part, leaving the matter to individual clubs.