A Tamworth FC footballer has said he is “shocked… but not surprised” to receive racist abuse after his team lost to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Chris Wreh, 28, said in a post on X: “After an amazing day today, this is the last thing I expected to see when I opened Instagram. Never the less, thank you for all the support today. Fans were unreal.”
He included a screenshot of an Instagram message he received with several racist insults after Tamworth lost 3-0 to Tottenham in the third round FA Cup tie at the Lamb Ground.
Mr Wreh told Sky News that he was “shocked and disappointed more than anything”.
“But I wasn’t overly surprised by it as it [is] something that we see regularly when black players do something ‘wrong’.
“I’m a strong character and try not to let things bother me because there are so many things that are wrong in the world and so many people suffering but it’s still not right or nice.
“But it’s good to call people out so that it can obviously stop it happening again and also, it shows their character and people can now make a real judgement of them.”
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Mr Wreh added that he believed racism in football “never seems to go away if you do bad [or] don’t win”.
He said: “For example on my issue, if we had won or if I scored and he [the sender of the message] didn’t lose his bet, I would not have been racially abused like that, but is that right? Absolutely not.
“But it’s sad because it’s the world we live in. Or like on a bigger scale the likes of Saka, Sancho, who were loved one minute and hated the next – simply because of the colour of our skin,” he said.
The Instagram account that the message is purported to come from appears to have been deleted.
Mr Wreh said the Metropolitan Police contacted him after he posted on X, while Staffordshire Police says it is liaising with Tamworth FC.
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In a statement to Sky News, the Staffordshire force said: “We’re aware of a social media message involving racist abuse that was sent online to a player following the FA Cup match between Tamworth and Tottenham Hotspur yesterday.
“Officers are continuing to liaise with Tamworth Football Club and national policing partners as part of their initial enquiries and plans to support the victim moving forward.
“Racist abuse will never be tolerated and officers will thoroughly investigate any reports as robustly as possible to ensure those responsible are dealt with accordingly.”
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Sky News has contacted Meta, which owns Instagram, and Tamworth FC for comment.
Mr Wreh, 28, joined National League side Tamworth in 2023. The striker has also played for Hartlepool United, Southend United and Banbury United.
Mr Wreh’s father Christopher, 49, was part of the Arsenal side that won the Premier League and FA Cup double during the 1997-98 season. The ex-striker also won 36 caps for Liberia.
Last month, England and Manchester City player Kyle Walker revealed he suffered “vile, racist and threatening” abuse on social media after a Champions League game against Juventus.
