SOCCER: Newcastle condemn online racist abuse and threats targeting Willock

Newcastle United on Monday condemned the racist abuse and threats of violence aimed at midfielder Joe Willock, affirming that the club will support any investigation to identify and hold the responsible person accountable.

England international Willock, who is of Caribbean descent, shared a screenshot of Instagram messages he received from a user who racially abused him and his family, while also threatening his life. The messages followed Newcastle’s 2-0 Premier League victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday.

In his Instagram story, Willock wrote: “I pray you and your family find God. And may Him have mercy on you.”

Newcastle said this was not the first time the 26-year-old had received abusive messages.

“Sadly, Joe has faced this before. Each time, we have acted quickly to support him, and that has been our immediate priority again,” the club posted on X.

The club added that the matter had been promptly reported to the police. “We will fully support any investigation to identify the person responsible and hold them accountable, wherever they are. This can only happen with meaningful action from Meta, Instagram’s parent company. We urge Meta to provide the police with all the information they need to identify the perpetrator and to do so quickly.”

The incident highlights a broader problem in football. Tottenham Hotspur forward Mathys Tel was also subjected to online racial abuse in August, and two individuals were arrested for racially abusing England defender Jess Carter online.

In November, FIFA reported a surge in harmful online content targeting players and officials. The organization said it has stepped up efforts to combat the problem by alerting national associations for follow-up action and blacklisting individuals responsible for abusive behavior from future FIFA events.

-Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Pritha Sarkar/Reuters