Colchester United boss Danny Cowley has condemned alleged racist abuse directed at striker Samson Tovide during their League Two draw at Accrington.
Cowley said there had been two instances of abusive remarks made to the 20-year-old during the second half of the game, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
“I am embarrassed and ashamed that we are in the 21st century and this is still happening,” he told BBC Essex Sport.
In a short statement on their website, Accrington said: “Discrimination of any form is not okay, and instances of discriminatory or prejudiced behaviour will not be tolerated by Accrington Stanley.”
Tovide has played more than 50 league games for Colchester after making his debut as a teenager in 2021.
Cowley said it was not the first time the player had been on the receiving end of racist remarks during games and had also been a target for “completely unacceptable” abuse on social media.
“He didn’t report the first incident, but he did report the second,” Cowley continued.
“I’m not blaming Accrington Stanley as a football club, because unfortunately this is an issue in our society and you’ll get idiots, I accept that.
“Credit to the referee, credit to the security people at Accrington because they came over and dealt with the incident.”
Cowley added: “My heart is with him. It’s not something we want to see in football stadiums.”