Police have warned anyone directing online racist abuse at Premier League footballers that they cannot âhide behind their keyboardsâ after opening investigations into four separate incidents over the weekend.
The prime ministerâs spokesperson has called for social media companies such as Meta â which owns Instagram â to help identify the culprits after the Wolves forward Tolu Arokodare and the Sunderland midfielder Romaine Mundle revealed they had been sent abusive messages after their matches on Sunday. That came after Chelseaâs Wesley Fofana and Burnleyâs Hannibal Mejbri had also reported racist messages that were sent to them on Saturday.
âThere 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,â said chief constable Mark Roberts, head of of the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU), which confirmed it has received four separate reports of abuse towards top-flight players over the last three days. âThe 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.â
Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out has also called for platforms to do more to address the problem and the prime ministerâs spokesperson said ministers will be ensuring they âcontinue to work to protect people from abuse,â adding: âThe 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.â
The Premier League has vowed to assist Wolvesâ and Sunderlandâs investigations, saying there would be âserious consequencesâ for guilty parties. However, in sharing images of messages directed to his Instagram account, Fofana made clear he is not convinced that will be the case. â2026, itâs still the same thing, nothing changes. These people are never punished,â wrote the French defender. âYou create big campaigns against racism, but nobody actually does anything.â
Quick Guide
How do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?
Show
Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for ‘The Guardian’.
If you already have the Guardian app, make sure youâre on the most recent version.
In the Guardian app, tap the Profile settings button at the top right, then select Notifications.
Turn on sport notifications.
Mejbri had earlier shared abusive messages he had received and wrote on his Instagram story: âItâs 2026 and there are still people like that. Educate yourself and your kids, please.â
Nigel Dewale, who sent online abuse to the England defender Jess Carter during the Womenâs Euros last summer, is set to be sentenced on 25 March after pleading guilty to a charge of malicious communication in January. Dewaleâs arrest and subsequent conviction came about after an investigation was launched by the UKFPU last July.
A spokesperson for Meta said: âNo-one should be subjected to racist abuse, and we remove this content when we find it. No one thing will stop racist behaviour overnight, but weâll continue working to protect our community from abuse and co-operate with police investigations.â
