Chelsea forced to grovel after Kenedy PR disaster in China
Brazilian winger sent home from tour after infuriating hosts with insulting messages on social media
Pre-season tours of far-flung countries have become a staple for Premier League clubs hoping to tap into lucrative new markets but as Chelsea have discovered such trips can be risky.
The club's visit to China has become something of a PR disaster thanks to a string of social media posts from young winger Kenedy. These have resulted in his banishment from the squad and prompted an angry reaction in the Chinese state media.
The winger's now-deleted Instagram posts included a video of a sleeping security guard with the caption: "Wake up China, you idiot." And another video in which he used an expletive to describe the country.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
They didn't go unnoticed and Kenedy was booed during the match against Arsenal in Beijing at the weekend. The state-sponsored People's Daily newspaper warned that "the hospitable Chinese people don't welcome such guest" and said "Chelsea will be treated as a 'persona non grata' in the future".
Chelsea are "deeply concerned" by the reaction, says The Times. "Chelsea disciplined Kenedy for the posts and issued a long and detailed apology."
In a statement written in Chinese and English on its website, Chelsea apologised "solemnly and sincerely" for the offence.
Chelsea had "experienced the warmth and friendliness of Chinese fans" during the tour said the statement, but acknowledged that Kenedy had "caused great offence and hurt the feelings of the people of China".
"Kenedy's actions were a mistake that he will learn greatly from," said the Blues. "His behaviour does not represent the entire team and does not align with our expectations and strict requirements of the young players."
The Brazilian winger, signed from Fluminese in 2015, is now "facing an uncertain future", says the Daily Telegraph, which adds that the episode has been "deeply embarrassing" for the Premier League champions.
"Kenedy will play no further part in the club's tour and has flown home from Singapore, with his Chelsea future now almost certainly under threat," says the paper. "It is believed he was also fined after Chelsea admitted he had been 'strongly reprimanded and disciplined'."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Is ChatGPT's new search engine OpenAI's Google 'killer'?
Talking Point There's a new AI-backed search engine in town. But can it stand up to Google's decades-long hold on internet searches?
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: November 5, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku hard: November 5, 2024
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Thomas Tuchel to become next England football manager
Speed Read 'Divisive' German coach hopes to lead the men's team to victory
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
The Premier League's spending cap: levelling the playing field?
Talking Point Top clubs oppose plans to link spending to income of lowest-earning club, but rule could prevent success gap from widening
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is a new English football regulator an own goal for the game?
Talking Point PM hails 'historic moment for football fans' but West Ham owner warns it could 'ruin' Premier League
By The Week UK Published
-
2023-2024 Premier League predictions: champions, relegation and golden boot
feature A look at the top flight talking points and pundit picks for the new season
By Mike Starling Published
-
Man City: can ‘one of the best sides in history’ win the treble?
feature Guardiola’s Premier League champions have two more trophies in their sights
By The Week Staff Published
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictions
feature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Antonio Conte leaves Tottenham after ‘extraordinary’ rant at players
feature After another year without a trophy, Spurs are now searching for a new manager
By The Week Staff Published
-
Liverpool 7 Man Utd 0: ‘welcome to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0’
feature Anfield’s ‘new front three’ were on fire in the humbling of their bitter rivals
By Mike Starling Published