Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris and Wolves boss Rob Edwards both stood in solidarity with their players after two instances of racist abuse were reported on an “appalling” Premier League weekend.
Black Cats winger Romaine Mundle featured from the bench in the Black Cats’ 3-1 defeat to Fulham on Sunday on a weekend that saw four separate cases of Premier League players receiving racist abuse and Le Bris reiterated the club’s support for Mundle.
“What happened to Romaine is unacceptable, we stand with him,” said Le Bris. “There is no room for racism or abuse in football or anywhere else. That’s clear for us, we stand for respect, inclusion and diversity, these are the values of football and the values of the club, so it’s clear.”
Speaking about wider racially motivated incidents in football in recent months, he added: “I don’t know really why but I repeat, we don’t want to accept that.
“We have to have a clear position and I think it’s the case here at Sunderland, we want to defend values and when someone, a group of people, want to threaten those values it’s important to react.”
Meanwhile, Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare was said to be “upset and angered” by the racism he was subjected to after Sunday’s defeat to Crystal Palace.
Arokodare missed a penalty in the 1-0 loss at Selhurst Park and subsequently received racist messages from several accounts.
Edwards said: “It’s been a really difficult week for him. He was upset and angered by it, understandably so.
“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.”
Police confirmed they are investigating a spate of online abuse directed at Premier League footballers last, with authorities issuing a stark warning to offenders that they cannot “hide behind their keyboards”.
Kick It Out, the British-based anti-discrimination charity, reiterated its demand for social media platforms to take more robust action against such behaviour.
“This has been an appalling weekend after four players called out the racist abuse they’ve received on social media. But the sad fact is, we know it happens regularly,” the organisation said.
“The message from them is loud and clear: action must follow. Players cannot be expected to tolerate this behavior, and nor should anyone else.”
The Premier League also condemned the abuse, stating: “There are serious consequences for anybody found guilty of discrimination and we will offer our full support with their investigations. Football is for everyone — there is no room for racism.”
Additional reporting from PA