The Premier League have issued a strong statement condemning the racist abuse directed at Super Eagles striker Tolu Arokodare following Wolves’ 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Arokodare endured a difficult afternoon during the tightly contested encounter after missing a penalty in the 43rd minute. The match became even more challenging for Wolves in the 61st minute when Ladislav Krejci was sent off after receiving two yellow cards in the space of three minutes.
With the visitors reduced to 10 men, Palace capitalised late on, as Evann Guessand struck in the 90th minute to seal all three points for the hosts.
Shortly after the final whistle, Arokodare took to social media to expose a series of racist messages he received on Instagram from several individuals in the aftermath of his missed spot-kick. Sharing screenshots of the abuse, the Nigerian International expressed disbelief that such behaviour continues to persist in modern times.
More Read
“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,” he wrote.
“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,” he added.
Wolves responded swiftly to the incident, releasing a statement condemning the abuse and pledging their full and unwavering support for the striker.
The Premier League have now echoed that stance, reiterating its zero-tolerance policy toward racism in a statement posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“We are appalled by the unacceptable online racist abuse targeted at Wolves’ Tolu Arokodare,” the league stated.
“There are serious consequences for anybody found guilty and we will offer the club and player our full support with investigations. Football is for everyone – there is no room for racism.”
Arokodare is the latest in a growing list of players subjected to racist abuse in recent days. Wesley Fofana and Hannibal Mejbri were also targeted following Chelsea’s draw with Burnley, while Romaine Mundle faced similar abuse after Sunderland’s 3-1 defeat to Fulham.
The incidents have once again sparked renewed calls for stricter measures to combat racism in football, as authorities and clubs continue to stress that discrimination has no place in the game.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
