Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Tolu Arokodare faced abhorrent racist abuse online after missing a penalty, highlighting football’s ongoing social media crisis.
Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Tolu Arokodare has become the latest Premier League player to face racist abuse on social media, following his missed penalty in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace. The club described the attacks as “abhorrent and unlawful” in a statement condemning the behaviour.
“Wolves are disgusted by numerous instances of racist abuse, from multiple perpetrators, directed at Tolu Arokodare on social media following today’s fixture against Crystal Palace,” the Midlands club said.
“There is no place for racism — in football, online, or anywhere in society. We condemn this abhorrent and unlawful behaviour in the strongest possible terms.
Tolu 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 club added that it had reported the posts to the relevant platforms and would work with the Premier League and authorities to identify the perpetrators. “We will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of discrimination,” Wolves said.
Arokodare himself responded on Instagram, saying: “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. 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.”
Sunderland also reported similar abuse after midfielder Romaine Mundle made a substitute appearance in their 3-1 loss to Fulham. The club said: “The abhorrent behaviour displayed by multiple individuals is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the club under any circumstances.
“The club is actively working with the relevant authorities and online platforms to identify those responsible, and we will take the strongest possible action available to us. These individuals do not represent Sunderland AFC, our values, or our community — and they are not welcome on Wearside.”
The incidents follow recent attacks on Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana and Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri, who received racist messages after their teams’ 1-1 draw on Saturday. Fofana shared images of the abuse on Instagram, commenting: “2026, it’s still the same thing, nothing changes.These people are never punished. You create big campaigns against racism, but nobody actually does anything.” Mejbri wrote: “It’s 2026 and there are still people like that. Educate yourself and your kids, please.”
Chelsea and Burnley expressed solidarity with their players. Chelsea said: “We stand unequivocally with Wes. He has our full support, as do all our players who are too often forced to endure this hatred simply for doing their job.
“We will work with the relevant authorities and platforms in identifying the perpetrators and take the strongest possible action.” Burnley added: “There is no place for this in our society and we condemn it unreservedly.”
Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out highlighted the ongoing challenge, noting record reports of abuse this season. “Players are standing up to discrimination, and we’ve had record reports to Kick It Out from across football this season, but we recognise the frustration in how it continues to fester online.
“Words matter, but actions are more important. Football is working together to tackle this issue alongside the UK Football Policing Unit and Ofcom, but social media companies must do more to offer protections to players and help improve accountability when incidents occur,” the charity said.
