Chelsea release Conor Gallagher statement after abuse for mascot interaction

Chelsea and Mauricio Pochettino have released statements defending Conor Gallagher after he received a torrent of abuse for his interaction with a young black mascot prior to Saturday's 2-2 draw with Burnley.

A clip that has gone viral on social media shows the 24-year-old failing to high five the child in the tunnel, though he does walk out onto the Stamford Bridge pitch moments later with his arm around his shoulders.

Gallagher has been subjected to high levels of abuse for the incident, prompting both the club and manager Pochettino to leap to the defence of their academy graduate.

"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," a club statement read.

"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."

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, ahead of Chelsea's clash with Manchester United, Pochettino said of the matter: "It has upset me so much because no one wants to do something like this, with this intention. He was so well, with so many photos, videos and photography with both mascots and then when you play football, you are there, you are focusing on so many things, focusing to play, to start the game, that sometimes can happen.

"People want to abuse the people. People always try to find things to create a mess and to abuse the people that if you know, I know Conor, I know the people that are involved here in Chelsea, I can talk for the people I know.

"Come on, there is no intention. Conor is a great, great kid and is always caring about everything. I hate when the people feel free to abuse on social media and things like this. I think we don't believe, or you don't believe, we need to stop these kinds of things.

"To abuse the people is so easy and then it's to pay attention of that, also, when these things never happened. Or to give too much attention to the people that want to create this type of situation or mess, or to abuse other people. Please, stop.

The Argentine continued: "We are all responsible. Who believes the intention of Conor is to ignore a mascot? Come on. It makes me very, very sad because I know Conor and he doesn't deserve to be abused. No-one deserves to be abused but him, come on. I am seeing too many things happening, not only in England, in the rest of the world.

"Our responsibility, altogether, is to try and ignore these types of things. The people who try and create this type of thing never help our life. We are involved in football and it's not deserved to pay attention like that. We need to keep moving. For me, it's about to support Conor and all the people who sometimes get abused."

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