…Premier League, Wolves back Arokodare after racial abuse
Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach Rob Edwards has opened up on the emotional toll racist abuse has taken on Nigerian striker Tolu Arokodare, revealing the forward endured a “really difficult week” following attacks online.
The incident occurred after Wolves’ 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, where Arokodare missed a first-half penalty.
In the aftermath, the 25-year-old was subjected to racist messages on social media, prompting the club to issue an official statement condemning the abuse and pledging full support for the player.
Addressing the situation ahead of Wolves’ Premier League clash with Aston Villa, Edwards admitted the striker was deeply affected.
“It’s been a really difficult week for him. He was upset and angered by it, understandably so,” Edwards told the club’s official website.
The Wolves manager explained that the club acted quickly, holding individual and group discussions to ensure Arokodare felt supported within the dressing room environment.
“We’ve supported him, and I’ve had a few individual chats with him, we’ve spoken about it as a group as well, to make sure that we get around him and support him.
“Then he’s had overwhelming support from a lot of Wolves fans and other people reaching out, which is really good.”
Edwards also confirmed that the Premier League had made contact following the incident, as concerns grow over persistent online discrimination targeting players.
“The Premier League have been in touch, so there’s support there, but again, we’re talking about something that we’re having to do far too many times. There have been a number of very high profile instances over this last week, which is really sad.”
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Reflecting more broadly on his managerial experience, Edwards highlighted how common such incidents have become.
“Since I’ve been a manager, there’s been a number of times when my players have had to deal with this, and the sad thing about it is that all of them have had it before, and that’s really tough to hear.”
He also expressed frustration that the problem is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.
“The unfortunate thing is that we can’t forget about it, because we’re going to be hearing about it again in the future, there could be someone this weekend, there probably will be, which is so wrong.”
Addressing the challenge of identifying perpetrators, Edwards pointed to the anonymity of many online accounts.
“Without knowing how certain things happen, how certain accounts are able to be opened or accessed or whatever, I know a lot of the abuse has come from accounts from maybe the other side of the world or somewhere else, and it’s difficult to track these people down.”
The UK Football Policing Unit has since launched an investigation into the abuse, while Arokodare is expected to provide a statement to authorities in the coming days.
Despite the setback, Wolves remain determined to shield their striker from further harm as they continue their domestic campaign, with Edwards stressing that racial discrimination has no place in football or society.
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