August 16, (THEWILL) –Â As a result of Darwin Nunez being dismissed for headbutting Joachim Andersen, Crystal Palace are set to report to the authorities the “3-400″ death threats that were made against Andersen and his family.
Nunez headbutted Andersen in the 57th minute of the fixture, after a heated exchange between the two players that had developed throughout the course of the game. The referee, Paul Tierney, quickly issued a red card to the Uruguayan striker, who had only just moved to Anfield from Benfica in the summer for an initial fee of £64 million.
One of the explicit and expletive-filled notes sent to Andersen read: “F*** you, I will kill you, you and your family.”
Threats of violence and racial abuse has continued to grow online with very little to deter abusers. However, in November last year, in a landmark case with widespread ramifications for punishing social media abuse, a man, who racially harassed West Bromwich Albion midfielder, Romaine Sawyers, online, was sentenced to eight weeks in prison.
After West Bromwich Albion lost 5-0 to Manchester City in an English Premier League match last January, the 50-year-old Simon Silwood attacked Sawyers. He was found guilty of sending a “grossly offensive message” by the Birmingham Magistrates Court.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
