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Police investigate alleged racist comment aimed at Luton’s Carlton Morris by Sheffield United fan

Police investigate an alleged racist comment which was aimed at Luton’s Carlton Morris by a Sheffield United fan at Bramall Lane.

Referee Sam Allison halted the game in stoppage time to speak to both sets of managers Chris Wilder and Rob Edwards after Luton and Morris made a complaint.

A fine goal from Alfie Doughty saw the Hatters ahead inside 20 minutes.

Sheffield United soon improved though, by going ahead in the second half through Oli McBurnie and Anel Ahmedhodzic.

Then two unlucky own goals from Jack Robinson and Anis Slimane saw Luton to another important victory.

LUTON STATEMENT:

We can confirm that Luton Town striker Carlton Morris reported an alleged racist comment from the crowd during this afternoon’s Premier League fixture at Bramall Lane.

Carlton reported it to the match officials in line with Premier League protocols, and the matter was dealt with immediately by both Sheffield United and South Yorkshire Police, who are currently investigating.

Luton Town Football Club will offer Carlton and any other player suffering abuse our full support, and would like to reiterate that we take a zero tolerance stance against all forms of discrimination, whether in person or online.

We would like to thank both Sheffield United officials and the police for their swift actions in dealing with today’s incident.

SHEFFIELD UNITED STATEMENT:

Sheffield United FC is disappointed to learn of an alleged racist incident, late in the game during the Premier League Boxing Day fixture against Luton Town.

Once the club had been aware of the alleged incident, an investigation was instigated, and we are now in dialogue with South Yorkshire Police and Luton Town FC, and we thank both for their assistance.

The club would like to again reiterate we take a zero-tolerance approach to racism and stands firmly against all forms of discrimination. There is no place for this behaviour in football, or society as a whole.

Speaking to Amazon Prime, Morris chose not to reveal what was said by the individual in the front row in the main stand.

“The Premier League have been great at telling us protocols and things like that, and I heard something from the crowd in the front row, unfortunately,” he said.

“I thought it was best to get it reported straight away, and then go from there.”

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder said in his own press conference: “There was a comment which was made that the referee came over to speak to me and Rob [Edwards] about, from a racial point of view which obviously is not great if found to have been the case.

“It was from the crowd, towards one of their players.”

Luton boss Rob Edwards said: “There was an alleged racist comment, the police are dealing with that, they have spoken to Carlton and got his take on it, so it is with them now; I have no more comment on it.

“He is alright – he was, at the time, pretty angry but he seems fine now.”

The Premier League said: “Racism has no place in our game or anywhere in society and we encourage anyone who hears or sees discrimination to report it so action can be taken.

“We will offer our full support to Carlton Morris and Luton Town FC, as well as continuing to work with clubs and authorities to ensure our stadiums are an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.”

Police continue to investigate the alleged racist comment aimed at Luton’s Carlton Morris by a Sheffield United fan.

Report racism to the Premier League – STATEMENT

Fans can now report online discriminatory abuse they see targeted at Premier League players, managers, coaches, match officials and their families directly at premierleague.com/reportracism. Each report will be investigated by the League’s specialist team.

Through its online abuse reporting system, which launched in 2020, the Premier League provides support for players and others within football who suffer online hate. The League’s dedicated investigation team tracks abuse and reports it to social media companies for removal. The team also works to identify perpetrators around the world, with legal action taken where possible. In the past three seasons, the Premier League has investigated more than 1,000 cases.

Discriminatory abuse is illegal, causes hurt to those targeted and damages football. The Premier League and clubs are committed to working with the authorities to bring offenders to justice and have introduced tougher sanctions. Those identified and found guilty of discrimination will face punishment, including automatic stadium bans and legal prosecution. This can affect education and employment opportunities and could lead to custodial sentences.

Along with the other English football authorities, the League has lobbied the UK Government in the development of the Online Safety Bill, which was passed recently. We will continue to work proactively with the Government, regulators and social media companies to ensure that combatting discriminatory abuse remains a priority.

Fans who experience or witness discrimination while at a Premier League match should contact the nearest steward or police officer, or report it by using clubs’ confidential text services, which can also be found at premierleague.com/reportracism

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