Anti-discrimination campaigners bemoaned an 鈥渁ppalling weekend鈥� in the after four players were on their social media accounts following games.
Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana and Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri shared images of racist messages they were sent privately over Instagram following their teams鈥� match at Stamford Bridge on Saturday that finished 1-1.
Wolverhampton striker Tolu Arokodare showed racially aggravated messages he received on Instagram after a 1-0 loss at Crystal Palace on Sunday, during which he had a penalty saved.
Sunderland said its winger, Romaine Mundle, was also subjected to 鈥渧ile online racist abuse鈥� after his substitute appearance in a 3-1 home loss to Fulham.
Kick It Out, a British-based anti-discrimination charity, repeated its calls for platforms to do more to address the problem.
鈥淭his has been an appalling weekend after four players called out the racist abuse they鈥檝e received on social media. But the sad fact is, we know it happens regularly,鈥� the organization said.
鈥淭he message from them is loud and clear: action must follow. Players cannot be expected to tolerate this behavior, and nor should anyone else.鈥�
The UK Football Policing Unit said Monday it received four separate reports of abuse toward top-flight players over the last three days.
鈥淭here is absolutely no place for racial abuse, either online or in person, and anyone who believes they can hide behind their keyboards should think again,鈥� said chief constable Mark Roberts, who heads the unit.
鈥淭he UKFPU condemns this abhorrent behavior and we will ensure that, through our dedicated team of officers, we do everything possible to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.鈥�
The Premier League also condemned the abuse of the players.
鈥淭here are serious consequences for anybody found guilty of discrimination and we will offer our full support with their investigations,鈥� the competition said. 鈥淔ootball is for everyone 鈥� there is no room for racism.鈥�
The 22-year-old Mundle has since deleted his Instagram account, the Sunderland Echo newspaper reported.
Meanwhile, Rangers said players Djeidi Gassama and Emmanuel Fernandez received racial abuse on their Instagram accounts after the 2-2 draw with Livingston in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.
鈥淔or any player, opening a phone and seeing abuse tied to the color of their skin is simply unacceptable,鈥� Rangers said on its website on Monday. 鈥淭he content has been reported to (Instagram owner) Meta and will be reported to Police Scotland.鈥�
The incidents came days after UEFA began an investigation into claims by Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior that he was on the field by Benfica鈥檚 Gianluca Prestianni during a Champions League game in Lisbon.
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