Derby report racist abuse of Colin Kazim-Richards after Nottingham Forest clash
Colin Kazim-Richards was subjected to racial abuse on Instagram after his late equaliser for Derby against Nottingham Forest.
The 34-year-old, who has just signed a one-year extension to his deal at Pride Park, cancelled out James Garner’s first-half effort with just six minutes of normal time remaining in the East Midlands derby.
In the hours after the game he received racist abuse from accounts on the social media platform, with one account set up with a racially charged variation of his name.
Derby have reported the abuse to Instagram, Kick It Out and Derbyshire Police.
And in a statement, the club said: “Derby County Football Club is disgusted to have learned that one of its players has been racially abused via social media.
“It was brought to the club’s attention on Saturday morning that Colin Kazim-Richards had received racially abusive messages via his social media platforms.
“The abuse received by Colin resulted in him having to have a conversation with his young children to explain why, in this day and age, racism and discrimination still exists.
“It should be clear, there is no place in sport or society for racism.
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“Derby County has a zero-tolerance stance to discrimination and prejudiced behaviour and the racial abuse has been reported to the relevant authorities.
“Social media abuse is, sadly, becoming more common and it is all too easy for individuals to hide behind an account. This cannot continue.
“The club has a long-standing commitment to striving for equality and diversity, not only in football but in society, and strongly supports several nationwide campaigns as well as staging its own work in the local community.
“We are united in celebrating our diversity and we stand proudly with Colin, and all our players, to make it categorically clear that this behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
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