Chelsea warns staff after Fantasy Premier League exposes Joao Pedro injury

How a fantasy team gave away an injury

Chelsea has warned its players and staff not to use club information in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), a game in which every team is visible to all users and there are no private leagues. The warning followed a case in which attentive users saw that Morgan Rogers and several Chelsea staff members had removed Joao Pedro from their virtual teams before the match on 24 October, according to SRF News. Because a player who does not play earns no points in the game, the removals pointed to an absence the club had not announced. Chelsea later officially reported a quadriceps injury for the Brazilian striker, and N-tv reports that Rogers replaced Pedro in the starting lineup on the pitch.

Match reports disagree on the result

The reports do not agree on the opponent or the score. SRF News, N-tv and SAPO describe a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, with SAPO placing the match at Stamford Bridge. Il Fatto Quotidiano instead names Sunderland as the opponent and gives a 1-0 loss. The reports agree that Joao Pedro did not take the field.

Alonso and the club's response

After the match, coach Xabi Alonso told reporters he was unaware of the fantasy team movements, saying he had nothing to do with fantasy teams. SRF News reports that Alonso is known for keeping his players' injuries secret for as long as possible, and Telegraaf says he has been reserved about discussing injuries at press conferences since joining Chelsea last summer. According to the BBC, the club sent an email to all staff reminding them of the potential consequences of using confidential information in Fantasy Premier League or other public games, where team selections can reveal which players are unavailable or close to returning. Reports say Chelsea does not plan stricter rules for the game.

A wider problem in English football

Il Fatto Quotidiano notes that Chelsea is not the first club to face this problem, since almost all players take part in the game and staff members are also tempted to use first-hand information. Brendan Rodgers has admitted that in 2021, while managing Leicester, he learned through fantasy football that Aston Villa would not play Jack Grealish. SAPO reports that about 1.7 million virtual managers had chosen Joao Pedro as captain for that gameweek, which would have doubled the points he could score. Telegraaf estimates that more than 11 million people play Fantasy Premier League.

What the warning asks of staff

SAPO, citing the BBC, reports that the warning does not ban staff from playing the game. It asks them to protect information about injuries, returns to competition and possible changes to the starting lineup. A transfer or removal of a player can, in this context, suggest that information has not yet been officially announced. The case shows how quickly a lineup change in a public game can reveal a team's private medical information.