Chelsea staff and players warned about playing FPL

Chelsea players and staff have reportedly been warned to exercise caution when using Fantasy Premier League (FPL) after activity on several accounts exposed Joao Pedro's injury before the club officially announced it.

The incident has raised fresh concerns about team leaks, with manager Xabi Alonso already taking measures to protect sensitive information.

According to the BBC, FPL content creators noticed that several Chelsea-linked accounts had removed Joao Pedro from their fantasy teams ahead of the club's 2-0 defeat to Tottenham on October 24.

One of the accounts was allegedly linked to Morgan Rogers, with the transfers attracting attention before the Brazilian's injury was officially disclosed.

The activity effectively provided an early indication that Joao Pedro was unavailable, exposing information Chelsea had not yet made public.

The club has since warned its personnel to be more careful with their FPL accounts to prevent similar incidents, which could offer opponents an advantage by revealing team news ahead of matches.

Alonso has been particularly cautious about sharing details of Chelsea's team selection since taking charge, with the manager generally reluctant to provide extensive injury and availability updates before games.

Asked about the FPL-related leaks, the Spaniard appeared unfamiliar with the fantasy football activity but acknowledged the subject, saying, "I am not into the fantasy team thing, so I didn't know that."

Chelsea are not the first Premier League club to become concerned about the potential for FPL activity to expose confidential team information.

Other clubs have previously advised players and staff against selecting their own footballers in fantasy teams, while some have reportedly gone as far as prohibiting the practice altogether.

The latest warning reflects the growing difficulty clubs face in keeping injury updates and selection decisions private in an era when fantasy football transfers can attract immediate scrutiny.