Newcastle United Codemn Online Racist Abuse Targeting Joe Willock

Newcastle United have condemned racist abuse directed at midfielder Joe Willock on social media and confirmed the matter has been reported to police.

In a statement released on Sunday evening, the club said Willock received several direct messages on Instagram following Newcastle’s win over Crystal Palace, containing racial slurs and “deeply disturbing threats of violence” towards the player and his family. Newcastle said the abuse was sent from a single Instagram account and described the incident as “disgusting”.

The club confirmed it has moved quickly to support Willock and has reported the messages to police, pledging full cooperation with any investigation to identify and hold the individual responsible. Newcastle also called on Meta, the owner of Instagram, to provide authorities with all relevant information promptly, arguing that content removal and message filtering alone are 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,” the club said.

Newcastle added that Willock has been subjected to racist abuse previously and reiterated its support for the player and others who face similar behaviour, stating it stands “firmly with Joe and anyone else who faces this kind of abuse”.

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