Former Arsenal midfielder Jorginho calls out pop star after daughter ‘reduced to tears’

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Former Arsenal midfielder Jorginho has launched a scathing public attack on Grammy-winning pop star Chappell Roan, claiming her security guard made his 11-year-old daughter cry during a hotel encounter in Brazil.

The 34-year-old Italy international, who now plays for Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro, took to Instagram to detail what he described as a “very upsetting situation” that occurred over breakfast at a hotel in Sao Paulo.

According to Jorginho’s post, his daughter – a big fan of the “Pink Pony Club” singer – had made a sign for the Lollapalooza music festival where Chappell Roan was headlining. When the youngster spotted the star at a nearby table, she simply walked past, smiled, and returned to her seat without approaching or making any requests.

Security guard’s ‘aggressive’ response

“What happened next was completely disproportionate,” Jorginho wrote. “A large security guard came over to their table while they were still having breakfast and began speaking in an extremely aggressive manner to both my wife and my daughter, saying that she shouldn’t allow my daughter to ‘disrespect’ or ‘harass’ other people.”

The former Chelsea star added that the security guard even threatened to file a complaint with the hotel while his daughter “was sitting there in tears.”

Jorginho, who made 57 appearances for Italy and helped them win Euro 2020 by beating England at Wembley, drew on his own experience of public attention to criticise the treatment his family received.

‘Without your fans, you would be nothing’

“I understand very well what respect and boundaries are. What happened there was not that. It was just a child admiring someone,” he wrote.

The midfielder, who won the Champions League and Europa League during his time at Stamford Bridge, concluded his post with a direct message to Chappell Roan in capital letters: “WITHOUT YOUR FANS, YOU WOULD BE NOTHING. AND TO THE FANS, SHE DOES NOT DESERVE YOUR AFFECTION.”

The incident has sparked widespread support for Jorginho on social media, with Rio de Janeiro’s mayor Eduardo Cavaliere even stating his intention to ban Chappell Roan from performing in the city. The mayor also invited Jorginho’s daughter as a guest of honour to the city’s Todo Mundo music festival in May.

Chappell Roan, who won the BBC’s Sound of 2025 poll and claimed Grammy and Brit Awards, has been approached for comment but has not yet responded to the allegations. The singer has previously spoken about fans’ “creepy” and “stalker-like behaviour” in other contexts.