Fans Demand Social Media Crackdown on Racist Abuse Targeting Football Stars

Fans of Wolverhampton Wanderers are calling on football authorities and social media companies to work together to stop racist abuse aimed at players online. This follows a recent incident where Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare and Sunderland winger Romaine Mundle, along with two other Premier League players, received racist messages on social media after their matches. Many supporters and community leaders are demanding that new tools be created to block offensive language before it can be posted.

After Wolves lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace, Tolu Arokodare, a Nigerian international, shared screenshots on Instagram of the hateful messages he received. He had missed a penalty in the first half, and Crystal Palace scored the winning goal in injury time. In his Instagram story, Arokodare wrote that he finds it hard to believe that people can still send such racist messages without facing any consequences. He said that people who spread hate should not be allowed in football and that everyone needs to work together to punish those who damage the sport. The club also shared the messages publicly to show how serious the problem is.

Manny Singh Kang, a Wolves fan and fundraiser for the Wolves Foundation, spoke to BBC Radio WM about the issue. He said that social media companies should use technology to recognize and block offensive language before it is posted. He explained that it is heartbreaking to see these messages and that some people now think it is normal to write such things because social media leaders do not stop them. Kang believes that football authorities and social media companies need to meet and refuse to leave until they agree on a way to stop this abuse.

Warinder Juss, the Labour MP for Wolverhampton and a football fan, said he will raise the issue with government ministers. He wants the government to work with social media companies to prevent offensive comments from appearing. Juss said that incidents like this affect him personally because he was told he would be racially abused at football matches because of his appearance. He is also worried that racism is increasing in society and returning to football stadiums. He said that strong and quick action is needed to stop this from happening again and again.

Dazzling Dave, from Always Wolves Fan TV, called the messages "absolutely abhorrent and disgusting. " He told BBC Radio WM that social media companies need to do more to make sure that people who sign up for accounts are real. He said that people who hide behind fake accounts should be found and held responsible so they cannot get away with sending hateful messages.

Last November, it was discovered that more than 2,000 extremely abusive social media posts were sent about managers and players in the Premier League and Women's Super League in just one weekend. Many people are now asking for stronger action to make football a safer and more welcoming place for everyone, both on and off the pitch.