There are statements no club should ever have to write, and Sheffield Wednesday have had to write far too many of them.
Following Tuesday night's 2-0 defeat to Notts County at Meadow Lane, the family of one of our players was racially abused on social media. The club has not named the player, and says it is working with the relevant authorities to make sure those responsible are identified and held to account.
WAWAW.NEWS stands with the player and his family, without condition. A result at Meadow Lane, or anywhere else, gives nobody the right to go after a footballer, and certainly not his loved ones. Racism is not "banter", it is not "passion", and it is not part of supporting a football club. It is a crime, and it should be treated as one.
Not the first time
The club's statement made clear this is not an isolated incident this season. It isn't an isolated incident in recent years either.
In April, after the home draw with Leicester, one of our players received racist messages online, and the club said then that it was not the first time it had found itself in that position.
In May 2023, Darren Moore was racially abused after the 4-0 play-off semi-final first-leg defeat at Peterborough, with chairman Dejphon Chansiri also targeted. The club banned the individual from all fixtures and events and worked with police. Moore responded with a dignity his abuser never deserved: "I've got no animosity and I forgive the fan who posted the message." He also said the support from his players and fans galvanised the squad, and Wednesday went on to overturn the four-goal deficit and beat Barnsley at Wembley. That night is remembered for the comeback. It should also be remembered for what Darren Moore had to endure in the days before it.
We also have to be honest about our own house. In January 2024, Coventry's Kasey Palmer was subjected to monkey gestures at Hillsborough. A Wednesday fan admitted the offence in court and received a five-year football banning order, and the club was fined £12,500 by the FA. The club has since banned him from all Wednesday fixtures for life. Racism isn't something that only happens "online" or "elsewhere". It has happened in our ground, from people wearing our colours.
A long history
Black players have been part of Wednesday's story for well over a century, and too often they have had to fight just to play.
Arthur Wharton, widely regarded as the world's first Black professional footballer, reportedly played a single game for Wednesday in 1888 before joining Sheffield United in 1894.
Tony Cunningham signed from Barnsley in November 1983, scored on his debut at Fulham, and helped Wednesday win promotion to the top flight that season.
Mark Bright, still the club's top Premier League scorer with 61 goals, has spoken about receiving a threatening racist letter in 1994 and being abused by a supporter at The Dell. He said it happened a number of times during his Wednesday years, though never at Hillsborough.
Viv Anderson, the first Black player to represent England, helped Wednesday reach two cup finals in the early nineties. And Liam Palmer has revealed he was racially abused on the pitch as a seven-year-old in the Owls academy.
Sheffield also has a proud record of fighting back. After Laurie Cunningham became the first Black player to represent England at any level, at Bramall Lane in 1977, he spent the evening with young people at The Hub African-Caribbean Centre in Sharrow, the building that is now home to Football Unites, Racism Divides.
What happens now
In the 2024/25 season alone, the EFL recorded 141 incidents of racist abuse at grounds and more than 5,000 online, with more likely unrecorded. Those are not just numbers. Behind every one is a player, a family, or a child scrolling a phone.
The Together Against Racism campaign, backed by Kick It Out, exists to remind fans how to report abuse so there are consequences for abusers and support for victims. Wednesday took part only last weekend. Days later, here we are.
So report it. If you see racist abuse online or in the ground, report it to the club, to Kick It Out or to the police. Don't scroll past, and don't excuse it because the person shares your shirt.
Wednesday fans are better than this. Let's prove it.
Sources: Sheffield Wednesday FC, The Star, Express & Star, Rayo, Jamaica Observer, Football's Black Pioneers, Football Unites Racism Divides, EFL.