Dutch FA to report online racist abuse of Oranje trio after Morocco defeat

The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) has reported a wave of discriminatory online abuse directed at several Netherlands players after Oranje's World Cup exit against Morocco, a spokesperson said.

After the round of 32 match finished 1-1, Justin Kluivert, Quinten Timber and Crysencio Summerville were all unsuccessful from the penalty spot. Although Morocco also missed two penalties, they prevailed 3-2 in the shootout to knock Oranje out of the World Cup.

After the World Cup defeat, Kluivert, Timber, and Summerville faced a wave of racist, discriminatory, and abusive messages on social media. All three later turned off comments on their posts to stop users from leaving further replies.

“This is deeply disturbing,” a KNVB spokesperson said. “The KNVB will, in any case, file a report with Meld. Online Discriminatie. After a report is submitted, legal staff there assess whether the statements constitute a criminal offence. That could lead to a formal complaint being filed with the Public Prosecution Service, which may then open a criminal investigation.”

The incident is not unprecedented. After England's defeat to Italy in the UEFA Euro 2020 final in 2021, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka were also targeted with racist abuse following missed penalties. The English Football Association responded by taking action against the online discrimination.

“Football has the power to unite millions of people from all backgrounds, while discrimination only divides them,” the KNVB spokesperson said. “That is fundamentally incompatible with everything the sport stands for.”