Bristol Rovers 'infuriated' by racist abuse of Forde

Image source, Rex Features

Image caption, Bristol Rovers signed Shaq Forde from Watford in the summer for an undisclosed fee

Bristol Rovers say they are "infuriated" and "sick and tired of racist behaviour blighting sport" following online abuse directed at forward Shaq Forde.

A message containing "racist and abusive" language was sent to the 20-year-old from an Instagram account following Saturday's 1-0 League One defeat at Reading.

Forde had been sent off in the 55th minute for kicking the ball away following the award of a free-kick, his second yellow card of the game.

"Shaq and several other Bristol Rovers players reported the abuse to us and we, in turn, will assist the police and [Instagram owners] Meta in their respective investigations," said a under the heading 'Enough Is Enough!'

"Shaq is not the only Bristol Rovers player to receive racial abuse, with an incident under investigation only last week.

"Even more sickening is that some of these messages come from individuals claiming to be Bristol Rovers supporters. Each time, the club has sought to act in the appropriate manner."

The incident occurred just days after Luton Town striker Elijah Adebayo was the victim of racist abuse sent to him by an Instagram user after the Hatters lost 2-1 to Sunderland in the Championship.

Bristol Rovers said the "old methods of 'combating' racism", the "carefully-crafted press releases and saturated social media posts" are "not working".

The club statement added: "Our supporters - our real supporters - are sick and tired of being in any way associated with those 鈥榝ans鈥 who comfortably send such abhorrent messages.

"To the person who sent Shaq this racist message, and to any person who claims to be a Gashead and engages in similarly deplorable behaviour, we simply say this: You are not a Bristol Rovers fan. You are not welcome at The Memorial Stadium. We do not want your support."

Opponents Reading also expressed support for Forde and say they "strongly condemn" the abuse sent to him.

"We will work alongside Saturday's visitors to ensure the perpetrator is identified and evidence is provided to the relevant authorities," a said.

"No individual, whether on or off the pitch, should be subjected to such abuse. We stand by you, Shaq."