Chelsea defender sent home after ‘humiliating China’

Ian Watson

Chelsea have sent defender Kenedy home following the outrage caused in China by his social media posts, Press Association Sport understands.

The Brazilian will play no further part in the pre-season tour of Asia as the Premier League champions bid to ease the tension the incident has caused.

The Blues had previously issued an apology after admitting Instagram posts by Kenedy had caused “great offence and hurt the feelings of the people of China.”

One of his posts, which were published in Portuguese, translated as “f*** China” and another caption alongside a photo of a sleeping security guard read: “Wake up China, idiot”.

Chinese newspaper The People’s Daily published an editorial, strongly criticising Kenedy and Chelsea.

They wrote: “China does not welcome a player like this; nor does China welcome a team like this.

“Kenedy’s absurd comments are not only impolite but also uneducated. He has created an incident that has humiliated China, an incident that so many fans simply cannot tolerate.”