Hull City have issued a strong condemnation of the racist abuse directed at their new signing Robinho Vaza. The attacks on the 19-year-old French striker emerged on social media shortly after the announcement of his transfer.
The club's announcement on Tuesday regarding the forward's loan move from Roma, with an option to buy, sparked a wave of offensive messages, which were soon taken down. Last season, Vaza made his mark in Serie A, scoring once, and previously played for Marseille.
Hull City's hierarchy stated that they are already working in conjunction with Humberside Police and other agencies to identify the individuals behind the abusive messages:
No one should face discrimination, and the club will offer Robinho full support. Hull City have a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of discrimination. Over the last 24 hours, we have contacted representatives from the Premier League, the anti-discrimination organisation Kick It Out, and relevant social media platforms. We fully support Robinho and urge all fans to report any incidents of discrimination.
Manager Sergey Yakirovich expressed his outrage during an appearance on BBC Radio Humberside:
This is a disaster and completely unacceptable. No mercy for such abuses; we live in the 21st century. All of this comes from fake profiles. If you're so brave, why won't you put your name? We stand 100% behind him. We are explaining the situation to him with the help of French-speaking players, as he doesn't speak English. But he's doing well, holding up fine.
