Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana has narrowly avoided a prison sentence despite pleading guilty to dangerous driving, marking his ninth driving offense. The 24-year-old defender was caught on dashcam footage speeding and weaving through traffic in his Lamborghini on the A3 Esher Bypass in Hook, Surrey.
The incident, which occurred on April 20, saw Fofana driving on the hard shoulder in a 50mph zone. Prosecutor Rabbi Khan argued that Fofana’s actions posed a serious risk to other road users, especially considering an approaching bend. The footage showed him speeding on the hard shoulder and recklessly cutting through traffic.
Appearing at Staines Magistrates' Court, Fofana was handed 300 hours of unpaid community service and an 18-month driving ban. This new ban extends his disqualification until May 2027, as he was already serving a two-year ban for eight prior speeding offenses. In addition to the community service and driving ban, Fofana was ordered to pay £85 in costs and a £114 victim surcharge.
District Judge Julie Cooper sternly reprimanded Fofana, emphasizing his role as a role model. She highlighted the danger of young fans imitating his reckless behavior, stating, "You obviously realize there are a lot of young people who look up to you and they would like to be like you and follow you... They will not be able to handle their car and do some ridiculous driving manoeuvre and they are dead. You need to be much more responsible about your behaviour".
Fofana's solicitor, Imogen Cox, stated that her client did not want to make any excuses for his driving and accepted the judgment. She added that Fofana voluntarily attended an interview at Guildford Police Station and apologized for his actions, stating he had learned a valuable lesson.
This is not the first time Fofana has faced consequences for his driving. He had previously been disqualified for six months in January 2023 and was involved in a car crash in December 2022. The current ban stems from an incident predating eight other speeding charges for which Fofana was disqualified in May. The repeated offenses had already accumulated 47 points on his license.
Fofana joined Chelsea from Leicester City in 2022 for a reported £70 million. Since then, his career with the Blues has been plagued by injuries, limiting his appearances. He has played in five matches across all competitions this season.
The judge warned Fofana that any breach of the new driving ban would likely result in a prison sentence, potentially ending his career.
