‘DISBELIEF’ AT RACIST ABUSE
SWANSEA City star Yan Dhanda has given an emotional interview and admits he was “angry” after being racially abused on social media.
The Swans strongly condemned the abuser, and police are conducting an investigation, while the 22-year-old himself has vowed to do all in his power to bring the perpetrator to justice.
Swansea boss Steve Cooper and captain Matt Grimes have given Dhanda their full backing, as have his team-mates.
And as he bids to hold social media websites to account for giving trolls the platform to dish out abuse, Dhanda has opened up on how events unfolded and what he wants to happen next.
The incident
Shortly after Swansea’s 3-1 loss to Man City in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Wednesday, February 10, Dhanda received racist abuse via a direct message sent to his official Instagram account. The message was not made public, however, Dhanda – who was left shaken after reading the abuse – quickly felt the need to act.
“Initially I was just shocked,” he said. “I was angry, I was hurt, and as the night carried on I didn’t get much sleep. I was thinking about it quite a lot.
“When I went home I was quiet, and the next day at training I wasn’t my normal self. I was a bit reserved, a bit shocked and upset still.
“I’ve had time to speak with family and the support of my family and everyone at Swansea, so I do feel much better now, but initially, the first couple of days I was upset and I was hurt.
“It got to me, and it affected me a lot more than I expected it to.”
The immediate aftermath
Dhanda spent several hours at the Liberty Stadium following his side’s clash with Man City, something that was made even more gruelling given that he had given his all for his club in the cup contest before having to begin the arduous process of attempting to secure justice.
Swansea themselves swiftly condemned the abuse in a strong statement issued via their own online platforms.
“From Swansea, I couldn’t have asked anything more from the staff, the players to everyone in the building,” he explained.
“Everyone’s seen the statements that have gone out, but, behind the scenes, after the Man City game, I was at the stadium until twelve at night.
“Six members of staff stayed with me to make sure I was OK and speaking to police.
“Behind the scenes, I’ve had support from everyone, and it just proves there’s so many good humans out there compared to one or two individuals who have a lack of respect to people.”
The full scale of the impact
Dhanda struggled to come to terms with the abuse he was subjected to, and his emotions ranged from sheer disbelief to anger, sadness and everything in between.
The shocking nature of the message he received impacted on Dhanda so badly that he was unable to sleep after Swansea’s fixture with Man City.
Players quickly spotted Dhanda’s struggles when he resumed training at the club’s Fairwood complex and were united in their support of the youngster during his difficult return to the daily grind.
“I was down and sad when I came in, but the team we have here, I think you’ve seen it on the pitch, we’re so together,” added the former Liverpool man.
“The support I’ve had from the staff and the players is amazing. When we’re all together they make me laugh and smile and almost forget about what happened for a short period of time.
“Without them I would have found it difficult because I wouldn’t have had people to talk to.
“They gave me love and showed me