Newcastle United have issued a forceful demand to Meta, the parent company of Instagram, to provide critical assistance to police investigating a sickening case of racist abuse directed at midfielder Joe Willock.
Abuse Follows Premier League Victory
The incident occurred shortly after Newcastle's 2-0 Premier League home win against Crystal Palace on Sunday. Willock, who came on as a substitute, missed a late opportunity to extend his team's lead. In the aftermath, he was targeted by a series of direct messages on Instagram from an anonymous account. The messages contained racial slurs and deeply disturbing threats of violence towards both the player and his family.
Willock responded by sharing a screenshot of the abuse with his followers, writing: "I pray you and your family find God. And may him have mercy on you." This marks the second time in less than 12 months that the 26-year-old has been subjected to such vile online racism.
Club and Police Launch Investigation
In a strongly-worded statement, Newcastle United expressed their disgust and confirmed they have reported the material to Northumbria police. The club pledged full support for the investigation, which will involve the UK Football Policing Unit.
However, the club emphasised that progress is entirely dependent on cooperation from the social media giant. "This can only happen with meaningful action from Meta, Instagram's owners," the statement read. "We urge Meta to give the police all the information they need to identify the perpetrator, and to do so quickly."
The club criticised the standard practice of simply removing content, stating it is insufficient. "Social media companies must do more to protect users and support the prosecution of those who seek to break the law on their platforms," they added.
Calls for Accountability and Action
The anti-racism educational charity Show Racism the Red Card backed Newcastle's stance. Campaign coordinator Richard Offiong pointed out that Willock has faced social media abuse on "multiple occasions" in recent years.
Offiong stressed the urgent need for platform owners to implement stronger measures. "Strong measures are needed to identify perpetrators quickly, remove harmful content and ensure those responsible face real consequences," he said. "Education, accountability and robust enforcement must go hand in hand if we are serious about tackling racism."
The case has once again thrown a harsh spotlight on the persistent issue of online racial abuse targeting high-profile footballers in the UK, and the challenges in holding anonymous offenders to account.
