Racists hit new targets
SHEFFIELD UNITED say society must change after striker David Mcgoldrick was the latest player to be subjected to vile racial abuse.
And in another shocking example of social media attacks on black players, Everton have contacted the police about a message posted on Twitter about Yannick Bolasie.
Mcgoldrick was targeted hours after scoring the first two Premier League goals of his career in the Blades’ 3-0 win over Chelsea on Saturday.
The Republic of Ireland international posted a screenshot of the expletive-laden, racist message he received on Instagram, which included the ‘n’ word and “ape”, along with the message “2020 and this is life”.
United say they will work with the police and football’s authorities to find and punish whoever is responsible.
The Blades tweeted: “As a club we will
support David Mcgoldrick and will do all we can to find the perpetrator of this disgusting message.
“We will work with the relevant authorities to ensure the person behind this post is brought to justice. This cannot continue. Something needs to change.”
Mcgoldrick’s teammates were quick to support the Nottinghamborn forward and condemn the abuse.
His strike partner Oli Mcburnie retweeted the club’s statement and said: “Disgusting 2020 and people still have to put up with this.”
Everton, meanwhile, have launched their own inquiry into the abuse Bolasie suffered in tandem with the police investigation.
Bolasie, 31, asked on Twitter for score predictions ahead of Everton’s clash with Wolves on Sunday as part of a competition.
But one response read: “Evertons [SIC] foreign players will draw against Wolves foreign players. KEEP YEH F ***** PRIZE! #Whitelivesmatter Everton are White!”
Bolasie responded with a thumbs up emoji and the word “Mug”. The vile tweet has since been removed.
The attacks come as a 12-year-old from the West Midlands, who was arrested in connection with the racist abuse of Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha, was released.
West Midlands Police said on Twitter: “The 12-year-old boy arrested in connection with racist social media messages sent to a footballer has been released under investigation while our enquiries continue.
“Racism has no place in society and we’re attempting to contact the footballer to obtain a statement.”
Zaha said: “People need to understand that whatever your age, that your behaviour and your words come with consequences and you cannot hide behind social media.”