Chelsea respond to 'out of context' video after Conor Gallagher ...

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Chelsea have condemned abuse aimed at Conor Gallagher and claimed a viral video taken before their match against Burnley has been taken “considerably out of context”.

Abusive comments on Gallagher’s social media pages emerged after a short video circulated online showing the Blues captain interacting with two team mascots moments before kick-off.

Some fans interpreted the footage and claimed Gallagher ignored one of the mascots after an attempt to embrace the player, but Chelsea have now defended Gallagher and emphasised they are a “diverse, inclusive club”.

A club 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.

“We are proud to be a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome.”

Mauricio Pochettino responded to the video, too, insisting he is “upset” and that fans do not understand Gallagher’s intention.

“That's upset me [the reaction]. No one wants to do something like this with this intention,” said the Argentine. “I know Conor, Conor is a great, great kid. He cares about everything. I hate the people who abuse in social media.

“Please stop. We are all responsible. How do you know the intention of Conor is to ignore the mascot? It makes me very sad. Nobody deserves to be abused. Come on.”

Nicolas Jackson shared Chelsea’s statement on Instagram in support of his teammate.

Gallagher is expected to feature in the Blues’ match with Manchester United on Thursday evening.