How, in 2026, are we still reading headlines of racial abuse being directed at Premier League (and no doubt other) players? This week, police forces across the country will be investigating six separate incidents of online racial abuse following games in England and Scotland alone. Two of those incidents came from Burnley's clash with Chelsea, with both Hannibal Mejbri and Wesley Fofana being targeted.
Let me say this loud and clear for those at the back: discrimination in any form is wrong; behaviour which seeks to intimidate, offend or harm an individual based on their perceived race, colour, ethnicity, nationality or national origins is wrong; posting your hate behind anonymous and faceless social media profiles does not make you immune from consequences.
We have to do more as a society to eliminate this behaviour once and for all. As the saying goes, to fight racism, we have to be proactively anti-racist.
For all the pressure that Scott Parker and his team are under, they have quietly delivered two very impressive back to back results; firstly, coming back from 2-0 down to win 2-3 at Crystal Palace, before levelling against Chelsea deep into stoppage time on Saturday afternoon.
Let's get the negatives out of the way first; in both games the Clarets conceded very early goals and that is something Parker has to get under control. There is little point persisting with a system of five at the back if you are going to invite so much pressure onto your back line. Never mind the immediate impact it has on your game plan.
But irrespective of that, Burnley delivered something that has been lacking for a while – grit and determination. The Clarets may well have left it too late to have any meaningful impact on this season, but it would help build some bridges with the fans if they go down with a fight.
Find more from Natalie Bromley at No Nay Never podcast