Wolves have condemned racist abuse directed at striker Tolu Arokodare on social media following their Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace, Soccernet.ng reports.
The club confirmed that multiple individuals targeted Arokodare with racist comments after the match and said it had reported the posts to the relevant platforms while also working with the Premier League and the authorities to identify those responsible.
Earlier reports and screenshots of comments from his abusers suggest that the fans were unhappy with his performance during their game at Selhurst Park, London.
Tolu Arokodare breaks silence
Reacting to the abuse, the former KRC Genk forward admitted he was shocked that such behaviour still exists in modern football.
“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,” the Super Eagles forward said via his X (formerly Twitter) platform.
“These individuals should have no place in our game and collectively we have to take action to punish everyone who taints the sport like this, no matter who they are.”
Wolves also issued a strong statement in support of their player, stressing that there is no place for racism in football, online, or anywhere in society.
The club added that Arokodare has its full and unwavering support and reiterated its zero-tolerance stance on all forms of discrimination.
Parts of the statement read: “Tolu [Arokodare] has our full and unwavering support. No player should be subjected to such hatred simply for doing their job. We stand firmly alongside him and alongside all footballers who are forced to endure this abuse from anonymous accounts acting with apparent impunity.”
The incident follows Wesley Fofana's incident, who was also a target, and also adds to growing concerns about online abuse targeting footballers, with clubs and governing bodies under increasing pressure to ensure offenders are identified and punished rather than allowed to hide behind anonymous accounts.
