The AFL and Hawthorn Football Club have condemned 'vile and appalling' racial abuse directed at player Mabior Chol via direct messages on social media. Chol, a forward of South Sudanese heritage, shared a screenshot of the messages after Hawthorn's loss to the Western Bulldogs on Friday night, captioning it: 'You can talk shit all you want but don’t be like this guy.'
Chol kicked three goals in the 12.5 (77) to 9.17 (71) defeat at the MCG. The 29-year-old, who previously played for Gold Coast and Richmond, has faced racist abuse multiple times during his decade-long AFL career.
The club and the AFL integrity unit are jointly investigating the incident. If identified, the perpetrator could be banned from attending AFL matches. AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon stated: 'Racism has no place anywhere, anytime – not in our game, not in the community and not online.'
Hawthorn chief executive Ash Klein added: 'There is no place for racism in our game and in our society. We commend Mabior’s courage in calling this out and we stand with him.' The club is providing support to Chol.
