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The Nigerian forward was subjected to racist abuse on Instagram and Luton have dared his abusers to meet him face to face
Luton Town have issued a powerful and emotional response following a racial abuse incident targeting their forward, Elijah Adebayo, after a recent match against Sunderland.
Adebayo, who is eligible to represent Nigeria at the international level, scored Luton's only goal in their 2-1 loss, but following the match, the player was subjected to vile racial abuse on social media, prompting the club to take a firm stand against racism in a strongly worded statement.
Luton’s fierce stance against racism
In their statement, Luton Town expressed frustration and anger at the repeated racial abuse directed toward Adebayo, recalling a similar incident from just twelve months prior.
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The club revealed that after the match, Adebayo received a racist message via Instagram from a UK-based account.
Luton immediately reported the incident to the police and social media platform Meta, making it clear that they would continue to stand by and support their player.
The club boldly challenged the abuser to confront Adebayo in person at their home stadium, Kenilworth Road, saying, “To the individual who cowardly dropped into Elijah’s DMs: We know who you are and you know who you are. You’re not a faceless account, one which we have sadly become accustomed to reporting in recent years.
“But as if you have the balls to come to Kenilworth Road and say it to his face. We dare you. If you do, you’ll be faced with everyone at Luton Town Football Club, standing side-by-side with Elijah.”
Continuing the fight against discrimination
Luton Town once again showed their commitment to fighting racism and educating the community, highlighting their involvement in the Premier League’s “No Room for Racism” campaign and the EFL’s “Together Against Racism” initiative.
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The club called attention to the emotional toll that racial abuse takes on players, stressing that this abuse is not just online hatred but has real-world effects.
As Luton Town stands firm against racism, they continue to ask the critical question: How much longer will players be targeted based on the colour of their skin?
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Despite the ongoing fight, Adebayo will be back in action for Luton on Saturday when they travel to Coventry in the EFL Championship.
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