In the same week that Vini Jr. accused a Benfica player of racial insults in a Champions League game, the Premier League, the main national championship in European football, recorded four cases in a single weekend.
After the draw between Chelsea and Burnley, on Saturday (21), , from the Blues, and Hannibal Mejbri, from the Clarets, were targets of racist messages on social media.
This Sunday (22), the victims were Toluwalase Arokodare, from Wolverhampton, and Romaine Mundle, from Sunderland — in different games.
Hannibal Mejbri and Fofana
It all started with Fofana’s expulsion, for two yellow cards, during the match. Hannibal was the protagonist of the move that resulted in the first yellow card, which made Chelsea fans offend the athlete on the internet.
The Tunisian released images of the messages, along with a request: “It’s 2026 and there are still people like this. Educate yourselves and your children, please.”
Fofana was sent off in the 27th minute of the second half as the Blues won the game at home. However, Chelsea conceded the equalizer in stoppage time and the Frenchman emerged as one of those responsible for the stumble.
On social media, the defender also shared some of the messages he received and said: “2026, and it’s still the same thing, no changes. These people are never punished. You create big campaigns against racism, but nobody really does anything.”
Arokodare and Mundle
Toluwalase Arokodare, Wolverhampton’s Nigerian striker, was the target of insults on social media after missing a penalty in the Premier League club’s 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.
In a statement, the club itself released screenshots of the insults that Arokodare received, which include insults such as “monkey”.
On the same day, Sunderland were defeated at home by Fulham, and Romaine Mundle was the target of racial insults. The 22-year-old striker missed a clear chance during the match — at the end of the match, he left the field crying.
The Englishman shared messages received, for example, one with the words “stupid monkey”. Afterwards, he deleted his profile on social media.
Premier League promises rigor
The official profile of the English Championship spoke publicly about each case, promising due rigor in the situations. According to the Premier League, identified fans could be permanently banned from stadiums in the United Kingdom and face criminal charges for their actions.
The entity reiterated that it maintains cooperation with specialized units to investigate online abuse. The clubs themselves also collaborate with investigations to find criminals.
We join Sunderland in condemning the abhorrent online racist abuse targeted at Romaine Mundle.
There are serious consequences for anybody found guilty of discrimination and we will offer our full support with their investigations.
Football is for everyone – there is no room for…
— Premier League (@premierleague)
The week also saw Vini Jr. accused in a Champions League game
The duel between Benfica and Real Madrid, played on Tuesday (17), in Lisbon, for the Champions League, was interrupted after the. The action took place after Vini scored a great goal against the Eagles, 5 minutes into the second half, in a match valid for the playoffs.
After the celebration, Real’s number 7 walked towards the referee and reported something said by Prestianni, from Benfica. As a result, the referee activated the protocol and stopped the game.
The atmosphere on the field heated up, and players from both teams began to argue. Vini Jr. was restrained by , from the Portuguese team, during the argument. The match was restarted after eight minutes, and Real Madrid beat Benfica 1-0.
The case is still under investigation.
