NEWCASTLE UNITED have contacted police over racist abuse suffered by midfielder Joe Willock.
An anonymous Instagram account targeted the ex-Arsenal star following the Magpie’s 2-0 win against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Willock, 26, missed a late chance after coming off the bench on Sunday. He then posted screengrabs on social media highlighting the series of racist private messages he received after the game.
In a statement, Newcastle said: “We are disgusted by racist abuse received by Joe Willock on Instagram on Sunday evening.
“Following our win over Crystal Palace, Joe received several direct messages from an Instagram account that included racial slurs and deeply disturbing threats of violence towards Joe and his family.
“We have swiftly reported this matter to the police and we will fully support any investigation to identify the person responsible and hold them accountable, wherever they are.”
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In response to the messages, Willock wrote: “I pray you and your family find God. And may him have mercy on you.”
It is the second time in less than a year that Willock has been forced to highlight the racist messages he has received on Instagram.
Willock was targeted on the same social media platform following a 2-1 defeat against Fulham in February last year, when Newcastle also contacted the police.
The club is now calling for social media companies to do more to protect players and hold those responsible to account.
The statement read: “This can only happen with meaningful action from Meta, Instagram’s owners. We urge Meta to give the police all the information they need to identify the perpetrator, and to do so quickly.
“Removing content and applying message filters is not enough. Social media companies must do more to protect users and support the prosecution of those who seek to break the law on their platforms.
“We stand firmly with Joe and anyone else who faces this kind of abuse.”
We have contacted Meta for comment.
A spokesman for anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out was also “disgusted to hear of the vile racism” directed towards Willock and suggested the volume of hateful messages is heading in a worrying direction.
“We have seen a surge in online abuse being reported to us this season, and there is no sign of it slowing down.”
Willock has featured in 10 Premier League games this season in what is his sixth year on Tyneside.
