Woman’s Twitter name angers Chelsea FC fans

Ebony Bowden
Mar 17, 2015, updated Mar 17, 2015

A San Francisco woman says she is bombarded with up to 100 tweets a minute during Premier League matches because of her unfortunate Twitter handle.

Photographer Chelsea LaSalle secured the username @chelsea seven years ago with the help of a friend who worked at Twitter, but never imagined the trouble it would cause with football fans.

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Speaking with Buzzfeed, Ms LaSalle said she is inundated with tweets every time Chelsea Football Club play, with football governing body FIFA even mentioning the wrong account when tweeting.

Chelsea Football Club’s Twitter username is @ChelseaFC.

“I knew some people would mention me thinking they tagged their friends if they didn’t really know how to use Twitter, but I didn’t expect a crazy influx of football fans,” Ms LaSalle said.

Perhaps the worst part is the abuse the photographer receives from football fans when she tells them to stop tweeting her.

One man accused her of attention seeking, even though a tweet she posted warning her followers she was not the football club was retweeted 23,000 times.

Another called her a s**t.

“@chelsea: i hate football season” Change your @ then. Attention seeking at its finest — Graham Smith (@GrahamSmithh) March 12, 2015

@Chelsea change ur @ you slut barm — Sonic. (@EmreFuckingCan) March 11, 2015

Despite football fans clogging her Twitter notifications, Ms LaSalle says she has no plans to change her username and even counts herself as a Chelsea fan.

“How could I not?” she said.

Ashley Young rescued @ManUtd, @Chelsea preserved five-point lead. @premierleague round-up http://t.co/rpo4vVdhA6 pic.twitter.com/R4U5mt0c1n

@BtotheU Yeah but I still need to get my nails done. — yung bordeaux (@chelsea) August 22, 2013