Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Tolu Arokodare has become the latest Premier League player to be subjected to "abhorrent and unlawful" racist abuse online. Following his missed penalty in Wolves' 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday, Arokodare received a barrage of discriminatory social media attacks, prompting a strong condemnation from his club and raising renewed concerns about online racism in football.

Wolves expressed their disgust at the numerous instances of racist abuse from multiple perpetrators directed at Arokodare. In a club statement, they affirmed, "There is no place for racism -- in football, online, or anywhere in society. We condemn this abhorrent and unlawful behaviour in the strongest possible terms. Tolu has our full and unwavering support. No player should be subjected to such hatred simply for doing their job." The club has reported the posts to the relevant platforms and committed to working with the Premier League and authorities to identify those responsible and ensure appropriate action is taken, maintaining a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of discrimination.

Arokodare, the 26-year-old Super Eagles striker, took to Instagram to lament the abuse, stating, "It's still unbelievable to me that we're playing in a time where people have so much freedom to communicate such racism without any consequences. These individuals should have no place in our game and collectively we have to take action to punish everyone who taints the sport like this, no matter who they are."

This incident follows similar racist attacks on other players. Sunderland's Romaine Mundle was targeted after his substitute appearance in a 3-1 loss to Fulham. Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana and Burnley's Hannibal Mejbri also faced online abuse after their teams drew 1-1. Fofana, sharing images of the messages, offered a pessimistic view: "2026, it's still the same thing, nothing changes. These people are never punished. You create big campaigns against racism, but nobody actually does anything." Mejbri echoed this sentiment, writing, "It's 2026 and there are still people like that. Educate yourself and your kids, please." Both Chelsea and Burnley swiftly condemned the abuse, pledging full support to their players and promising to work with authorities to identify perpetrators. Internationally, UEFA recently began an investigation into claims of racial abuse by Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior against Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni, allegations Prestianni denies.

Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out highlighted the ongoing issue, stating, "Players are standing up to discrimination, and we've had record reports to Kick It Out from across football this season, but we recognise the frustration in how it continues to fester online. Words matter, but actions are more important." The charity emphasized the need for social media companies to do more to protect players and improve accountability.

The abuse directed at Arokodare stemmed from his missed penalty during the crucial match against Crystal Palace. With the score at 0-0, referee Thomas Kirk awarded a spot-kick after Adam Wharton fouled Mateus Mane. Arokodare stepped up, but his shot to the right side of the goal was accurately predicted and saved by Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson. This missed opportunity proved costly, as Evann Guessand secured the victory for Crystal Palace with a late strike, leading to a 1-0 defeat for Wolves.

Arokodare, who joined Wolves from Genk in the summer for a reported €26 million, has struggled for prominence this season, having made only 12 starts. Despite being the club's main goalscorer with two league goals, his inconsistency and the missed penalty have drawn significant scrutiny. The defeat leaves Wolves in a precarious position, rooted to the bottom of the Premier League standings with just 10 points, 17 points away from safety. With only 30 points left to play for this season, their Premier League future is cast in further doubt, with relegation almost guaranteed unless Arokodare and the team can muster a dramatic late resurgence.