UK police investigating racist abuse of Premier League quartet

LONDON - UK police said on Feb 23 they are investigating “abhorrent” racist abuse directed online at four Premier League footballers last weekend.

Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare and Sunderland midfielder Romaine Mundle were the latest players to be targeted on Feb 22, with Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana and Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri suffering similar abuse on Feb 21 following a 1-1 draw between their clubs.

Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the head of the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU), said on Feb 23: “There is absolutely no place for racial abuse, either online or in person, and anyone who believes they can hide behind their keyboards should think again.

“The UKFPU condemns this abhorrent behaviour and we will ensure that, through our dedicated team of officers, we do everything possible to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.”

Arokodare missed a penalty in Feb 22’s 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace and subsequently received racist messages from several accounts.

Sunderland later revealed Mundle had endured similar attacks following his substitute appearance in a 3-1 loss at Fulham.

Kick It Out, a British-based charity aiming to combat racism in football, issued a statement late on Feb 22 condemning an “appalling weekend” of abuse.

“But the sad fact is, we know it happens regularly,” the statement also said, adding: “Action must follow. Players cannot be expected to tolerate this behaviour, and nor should anyone else.”

The Premier League issued its own statement, warning of “serious consequences” for those found guilty of abuse, insisting: “Football is for everyone – there is no room for racism.”

‘People are never punished’

But French defender Fofana, who previously shared images of messages directed to his Instagram account, had little hope of significant action.

“2026, it’s still the same thing, nothing changes,” he posted. “These people are never punished. You create big campaigns against racism, but nobody actually does anything.”

An official spokesman for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “The racism experienced by these footballers is abhorrent. The Prime Minister has supported footballers before who have had the courage to come forward and call out discrimination and racism and this is no different.

“Premier League clubs have said they want to work with social media sites, including Meta, the Premier League and the police to identify those responsible.

“And Meta (the US-based technology company that owns Facebook and WhatsApp) has said that it will continue to work to protect people from abuse. Ministers will be holding them to account to ensure it happens.”

Meanwhile, Scottish giants Rangers condemned on Feb 23 the “simply unacceptable” racial abuse directed towards Djeidi Gassama and Emmanuel Fernandez.

The pair were subjected to racism on their Instagram accounts after featuring in a 2-2 draw at Livingston on Feb 22.

Rangers said Meta had been notified of the abuse and the incidents will be reported to the police.

“For any player, opening a phone and seeing abuse tied to the colour of their skin is simply unacceptable,” said a Rangers statement.

Rangers said they were proud of the two players for highlighting this “vile abuse”.

Nigel Dewale, who sent online abuse to England defender Jess Carter during last year’s Women’s Euros, is set to be sentenced on March 25 after pleading guilty to a charge of malicious communication in January.

European football governing body UEFA last week began an investigation into claims by Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior he was racially abused on the pitch by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during a Champions League game in Lisbon.

The Argentinian has denied the allegations but was suspended on Feb 23 from Benfica’s Champions League play-off second leg against Real Madrid pending the ongoing investigation.

Benfica have also launched their own probe into two fans who were filmed making what appeared to be monkey gestures towards Brazilian forward Vinicius. AFP