AFL and Hawthorn Condemn Racist Abuse Against Player Mabior Chol

The Australian Football League (AFL) and the Hawthorn Football Club have issued strong condemnations of racist abuse directed at player Mabior Chol on social media. The abuse followed Hawthorn's six-point loss to the Western Bulldogs at the MCG on Friday night.

“

You can talk s*** all you want but don't be like this guy

Chol himself shared screenshots of the offensive messages on his Instagram story, which included deeply offensive racial slurs and foul language. In response, AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon stated, "The AFL strongly condemns the vile and racist social media messages sent to Hawthorn player Mabior Chol following Friday night's match." He added, "Racism has no place anywhere, anytime, not in our game, not in the community and not in our game."

“

The AFL strongly condemns the vile and racist social media messages sent to Hawthorn player Mabior Chol following Friday night's match.

Dillon emphasized that individuals engaging in such behavior are not welcome in the sport and commended Chol's courage in calling out the abuse. The AFL integrity unit will collaborate with Hawthorn to address the matter. Hawthorn chief executive Ash Klein echoed these sentiments, stating, "It is simply not acceptable. There is no place for racism in our game and in our society."

“

Racism has no place anywhere, anytime, not in our game, not in the community and not online. Players, or anyone, should never be subjected to this sort of abuse.

Klein affirmed the club's commitment to supporting Chol, saying, "Our immediate focus is on wrapping our arms around and supporting Mabior." This incident marks a recurrence for Chol, who was also a target of racial abuse on social media in 2022 when he played for the Gold Coast Suns.

“

To be clear, if you think this behaviour is acceptable, then you are not welcome in our game.