Pochettino Condemns Social Media Abuse Directed at Gallagher

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino defended Conor Gallagher on Wednesday after the midfielder faced abuse on social media over a video showing him apparently missing a high-five with a mascot.

In a statement, Chelsea condemned the “defamatory comments” towards Gallagher, calling them “completely unacceptable” and clarifying that the video was taken out of context.

The incident occurred before Chelsea’s match against Burnley at Stamford Bridge, where the 24-year-old seemed unaware that one of the mascots was offering a high-five.

Pochettino dismissed any suggestion that Gallagher acted deliberately and responded strongly to the online backlash.

“This has deeply upset me,” he expressed. “No one intends to do this. When you are focused on playing and preparing for the game, these things can happen.”

The Chelsea manager emphasized, “People always try to create controversy. I know Conor. Come on — he would never have that intention.”

“Conor is a fantastic young man and always cares about everything. It’s disheartening to see people feel entitled to abuse on social media,” Pochettino added.

Previously, Pochettino has been vocal about the harmful impact of online abuse towards players and stressed the need for action against such behavior.

“Today, it’s so easy to abuse people,” the Argentine remarked. “Whenever this happens, we shouldn’t give too much attention to those who want to create controversy and insult others. We must stop this.”

“How can anyone believe that Conor’s intention was to ignore a mascot? It’s ridiculous,” he expressed his frustration.

“Our responsibility is to try to ignore this kind of negativity. Those who seek to create chaos never contribute anything positive to our lives. They don’t deserve attention,” Pochettino continued.

He also referenced the recent incident involving Barcelona defender Inigo Martinez, who was filmed this week confronting a fan who verbally criticized him.

“It’s the society that consumes this content,” Pochettino observed. “People are only interested in negative things. We are somewhat responsible too. We opened the door with all the documentaries. People want to see fights, not good or positive things. They look for faults. That’s the society we’re all part of.”