Hull City’s new signing Robinho Vaz has been subjected to racist abuse shortly after joining the club from Roma on loan, prompting the club’s leadership to intervene and police to begin identifying the accounts involved.
The incident is the latest reported case of racism in European football. Vaz, who moved to the English Championship on a temporary basis from the Italian club, was targeted almost immediately after arriving at Hull City.
The abuse was directed at the player because of his background and was delivered through online accounts. In this case, the matter went beyond offensive messages: after a report was made to the police, officers began working to trace the accounts from which the insults had been sent.
Hull City’s management became involved after the attacks were reported, underlining the seriousness with which the club treated the abuse aimed at its new forward. The police action is focused on identifying those responsible for the messages.
Vaz joined Hull City from Roma on loan, making the move to England before coming under attack. The racist messages followed soon after his arrival, turning what should have been the start of his time with the club into the focus of an abuse investigation.
The case highlights the continuing problem of racism around football in Europe, with players still being targeted on the basis of their origin. Here, the response included both action from the club’s leadership and a police effort to establish which accounts were used to contact and insult Vaz.
No further details have been given about the identities of the account holders or the progress of the police work. The immediate development is that the accounts are being traced following the complaint made over the abuse.
Vaz is currently at Hull City on loan from Roma. His move represents a temporary switch from Italy to the English Championship, but his arrival has been overshadowed by the racist attacks directed at him online.
