Incidents occurred across most recent weekend
Prime Minister and Kick It Out call for action
Police have warned anyone directing online racist abuse at Premier League footballers that they cannot “hide behind their keyboards” after opening investigations into four separate incidents over the weekend.
The prime minister’s spokesperson has called for social media companies such as Meta – which owns Instagram – 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 Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana and Burnley’s Hannibal Mejbri had also reported racist messages that were sent to them on Saturday.
“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,” 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. “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.”
