After Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare and Sunderland winger Romaine Mundle were the targets of racist taunts on social media over the weekend, English football is once again facing an unpleasant reality.
Concerns have grown around the Premier League as a result of the instances, as four elite players openly disclosed they were singled out within 48 hours. Kick It Out, an anti-discrimination nonprofit, called it a “appalling weekend,” highlighting an issue that isn’t going away.
After Wolves’ 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace, Arokodare was inundated with abusive texts. After having a penalty in the first half denied and Palace winning late, the Nigerian international had a terrible afternoon.
Wolves denounced what they described as “abhorrent and unlawful behaviour in the strongest possible terms” and expressed their “disgust” that the 25-year-old had been assaulted by “multiple perpetrators.”
“It’s still unbelievable to me that we’re playing in a time where people have so much freedom to communicate such racism without any consequences,” Arokodare wrote, sharing screenshots of the messages.
“These people have no place in our game, and we must all work together to punish everyone who taints the sport in this way, regardless of who they are.”
“Tolu has our full and unwavering support,” the club continued. No footballer should have to endure such animosity just for carrying out their duties.
“He and all football players who must put up with this abuse from anonymous accounts acting seemingly without consequence have our unwavering support.”
After coming off the bench in Sunderland’s 3-1 home loss to Fulham, Mundle was also singled out. The 22-year-old was the target of “vile” abuse, according to the Wearside club.
“The club will not tolerate the heinous behavior exhibited by numerous individuals under any circumstances,” Sunderland declared.
“These people are not welcome on Wearside and do not represent Sunderland AFC, our values, or our community.”
Mundle has reportedly since deactivated his Instagram account, according to the Sunderland Echo. He has previously posted offensive messages that were sent to him while he was competing in the Championship, so this is not the first time he has experienced such harassment.
Similar reports from Wesley Fofana and Hannibal Mejbri following their teams’ 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge preceded the events of the weekend. There are “serious consequences for anybody found guilty of discrimination and we will offer our full support with their investigations,” according to the Premier League, which could include legal action and club bans.
The amount of abuse recorded this season has escalated to record levels, Kick It Out said. The organization stated, “We’ve received record reports to Kick It Out from all over football this season, and players are standing up to discrimination, but we recognize the frustration in how it continues to fester online.”
“Actions are more significant than words. Football, the UK Football Policing Unit, and Ofcom are collaborating to address this issue; nevertheless, social media businesses need to do more to provide player protections and enhance accountability in the event of events.
“The victims of this abhorrent mistreatment must always come first.”
“No one should be subjected to racist abuse, and we remove this content when we find it,” a Meta spokeswoman said in response to previous occurrences.
“We will continue to work to protect our community from abuse and cooperate with police investigations, but no one thing will stop racist behavior overnight.”
