Leak scandal: Chelsea warn their staff against a repeat of what happened with Joao Pedro

Chelsea's 2-0 defeat to Tottenham at Stamford Bridge was not merely the loss of three points. It marked the beginning of a scandal that revealed the club's most dangerous leaks come not from the press, nor from players' agents, but from a game adored by millions of people.

Everyone was awaiting Chelsea's announcement of Joao Pedro's injury. Some players and staff had already revealed it without uttering a single word, simply by making a minor change to their virtual teams on the Fantasy Premier League game.

Chelsea warned their staff to exercise caution so as not to give away team news unintentionally through Fantasy Premier League, after it emerged that Joao Pedro's injury had leaked via team selections in the game.

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, an email reminded staff of the potential consequences of using inside information when playing Fantasy Premier League or any other public gaming platforms, where team selections can reveal players who are unavailable or close to returning.

This followed leaks before the defeat to Tottenham, when Pedro was surprisingly absent due to what later turned out to be an injury to the front thigh muscle.

Several influential Fantasy Premier League content creators claimed they had seen evidence that forward Morgan Rogers, along with several members of Chelsea's staff, had removed Pedro from their teams in the game before kick-off at Stamford Bridge, despite no announcement being issued by the club about his injury.

Asked about the matter by BBC Sport after the defeat, Xabi Alonso said he was not aware of the situation.

He replied: "I'm not interested in the matter of fantasy teams, so I didn't know about that".

Since joining Chelsea in the summer, Alonso (44 years old) has generally been guarded when discussing injury issues in press conferences.

Chelsea had faced problems with leaks before. During the four-month spell of former coach Liam Rosenior last season, the team's line-ups leaked before both matches in which the club lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

It also later emerged that the barber of former defender Marc Cucurella had revealed on social media that Pedro and Cole Palmer would miss a trip to Brighton last season after discussing the matter with his client.

No further restrictions are expected on Fantasy Premier League. Chelsea consider the incident an isolated case that can be dealt with through increased awareness among players and staff.

Plenty of other examples exist, alleging that players from clubs such as Arsenal, Liverpool, Leicester and Newcastle made revealing changes to their teams, while BBC Sport identified accounts that Fantasy Premier League followers believe are linked to players and prominent figures at clubs across the league.

Perhaps the most notable example was the revelation of then Aston Villa forward Jack Grealish's absence from the line-up before a match against Leicester City in February 2021.

Then Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers later said he was aware of the rumours surrounding Grealish's injury absence before the match, which his team won.

According to the BBC, more than 11 million people play Fantasy Premier League, which has become an increasingly prominent part of the wider football ecosystem.

Strict rules prohibit gambling, yet the Premier League provides no specific guidance to clubs on how, or whether, participants in the game should take part in Fantasy Premier League.

Instead, the matter is generally left for individual clubs to manage themselves.