Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana and Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri were targeted with racist abuse online after the teams' 1-1 draw in the Premier League.
Both players shared images of racist messages they were sent privately over Instagram following Saturday's game at Stamford Bridge.
It came days after UEFA began an investigation into claims by Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior that he was racially abused on the field by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during a Champions League game in Lisbon.
Fofana, who was sent off for receiving two yellow cards against Burnley, posted screenshots of messages he had been sent and wrote on Instagram: “2026, it’s still the same thing, nothing changes. These people are never punished.
“You create big campaigns against racism, but nobody actually does anything.”
Mejbri wrote on his Instagram story: “It’s 2026 and there are still people like that. Educate yourself and your kids, please.”
Chelsea said in a statement the abuse directed at Fofana was "completely unacceptable and runs counter to the values of the game and everything we stand for as a club."
“We stand unequivocally with Wes," the statement read. "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.”
Burnley said in its statement there was "no place for this in our society and we condemn it unreservedly.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Burnley's Hannibal Mejbri, left, and Mansfield Town's Luke Bolton during the English FA Cup fourth round soccer match between Burnley and Mansfield Town in Burnley, England, Saturday Feb. 14, 2026. (Richard Sellers/PA via AP)
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Johannes Lochner went out on top, and Germany capped another dazzling Olympic display with another dominant bobsled show at the Milan Cortina Games.
Lochner — who announced his retirement months ago — capped his career with his second gold medal of these Olympics, winning the four-man event over two-time defending Olympic champion Francesco Friedrich by 0.57 seconds on Sunday in the final sliding event of these Games.
“It’s just such a dream. … It's indescribable,” Lochner said. “A moment for eternity. A perfect finish, the most perfect finish ever.”
But it wasn't a German sweep: Switzerland got the bronze, with Michael Vogt overtaking Germany's Adam Ammour in the fourth and final run to secure that third-place spot. Ammour settled for fourth.
Lochner's four-run time was 3 minutes, 37.57 seconds. Friedrich — Germany's all-time leader in just about every category imaginable — finished in 3:38.14, Vogt in 3:38.64 and Ammour in 3:38.68.
“A year and a half ago, Hansi asked me to come in his sled and we made a plan,” said pusher Thorsten Margis, who won four Olympic golds with Friedrich and now has a fifth with Lochner. “It’s quite cool if such a plan works out, and it’s pretty amazing to beat the most successful bobsleigh pilot in the world.”
Lochner has made his future plans known. Friedrich isn't saying if he's retiring — yet.
“Normally I have to get one more gold," Friedrich said. "So, we will see.”
Kris Horn had the top U.S. sled, finishing 11th with Caleb Furnell, Hunter Powell and Carsten Vissering in his sled. Frank Del Duca was 12th for the U.S., with Boone Niederhofer, Bryan Sosoo and Josh Williamson in his sled.
“I’m trying to find the words to explain it,” Del Duca said. “We are medal contenders, so to not have a medal hurts. But to be able to walk away from the competition, knowing that we gave maximum effort and maximum preparation, and then be able to see our family in the stands and feel the love from them, feel the support from each other … as hard as it is to walk away empty-handed, we have very full hearts with the support that we have.”
The final bobsled medal tally from bobsled at these Olympics: Germany 8, U.S. 3, Switzerland 1, everyone else in the world 0.
And the total from all three sliding sports — adding skeleton and luge — was just as one-sided.
Those final numbers: Germany 19, Austria 5, Italy 4, U.S. 4, Britain 2, Switzerland 1 and Latvia 1. If Lochner, Friedrich and Ammour were their own nation, they would have tied for the top spot in the sliding medal standings. They combined to win five themselves.
“We are all putting down a show,” said two-woman Olympic champion Laura Nolte, who won two of Germany's nine bobsled medals in Cortina. “And it's fun.”
Lochner became the seventh pilot to sweep both men’s bobsled events in an Olympics, joining Anderl Ostler (1952), Eugenio Monti (1968), Meinhard Nehmer (1976), Wolfgang Hoppe (1984), Andre Lange (2006), and Friedrich (2018 and 2022).
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Switzerland's Michael Vogt, front Andreas Haas, Amadou David Ndiaye and Mario Aeberhard arrive at the finish during a four man bobsled run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Germany's gold medalists Johannes Lochner, left, and Germany's silver medalist Francesco Friedrich, right, celebrate at the finish after the four man bobsled competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Germany's gold medalists Johannes Lochner, front, Thorsten Margis, Jorn Wenzel and Georg Fleischauer arrive at the finish during a four man bobsled run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Germany's gold medalists Johannes Lochner, Thorsten Margis, Jorn Wenzel and Georg Fleischauer pose with their medals after the four man bobsled competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
United States' Kristopher Horn, Caleb Furnell, Hunter Powell and Carsten Vissering arrive at the finish during a four man bobsled run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Germany's Francesco Friedrich, left, Matthias Sommer, Alexander Schuller and Felix Straub slide down the track during a four man bobsled run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Germany's Johannes Lochner, front, Thorsten Margis, Jorn Wenzel and Georg Fleischauer arrive at the finish during a four man bobsled run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
Germany's Johannes Lochner, left, Thorsten Margis, Jorn Wenzel and Georg Fleischauer slide down the track during a four man bobsled run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
