Newcastle United have reported racist abuse aimed at midfielder Joe Willock to the police. The abuse came via Instagram after Newcastle’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, with the messages including racial slurs and threats of violence against Willock and his family.
Willock, who shared screenshots of the messages, has previously faced similar abuse last February. Newcastle said they have acted swiftly to support him and have called on social media companies, including Meta, to do more to help identify perpetrators and prevent such attacks.
Northumbria Police have launched an investigation, working with the UK Football Policing Unit. Anti-racism charities, including Show Racism the Red Card and Kick It Out, condemned the abuse and stressed the need for stronger action by social media platforms to protect users.
