Sunderland have condemned ‘vile’ online abuse of Romaine Mundle and pledges strongest possible action after Fulham fixture
Sunderland have issued a strong statement condemning alleged racist abuse directed at Romaine Mundle following the club’s Premier League fixture against Fulham.
Mundle endured a difficult afternoon at the Stadium of Light, missing a significant chance before later appearing visibly upset at full-time after also picking up an injury. The 22-year-old has since deleted his Instagram account.
In a strongly-worded statement, the club said: “Sunderland AFC is appalled by the vile online racist abuse directed at Romaine Mundle following today’s Premier League fixture against Fulham. The abhorrent behaviour displayed by multiple individuals is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the club under any circumstances.
“There is no place for racism in our society, and we stand with Romaine, who has our full support. The club is actively working with the relevant authorities and online platforms to identify those responsible, and we will take the strongest possible action available to us. These individuals do not represent Sunderland AFC, our values, or our community - and they are not welcome on Wearside.”
Mundle joined Sunderland in February 2024 from Belgian side Standard Liège, having previously come through the academy at Tottenham Hotspur. After progressing through Spurs’ youth ranks, he featured for their U2s side before moving to Belgium in search of senior football. He made six senior league appearances for Standard Liège in the Belgian Pro League and also featured for SL16 FC in the Challenger Pro League, scoring twice in four appearances.
Since arriving on Wearside, Mundle has made 46 league appearances for Sunderland, scoring six goals. He netted once in 11 league appearances during the second half of the 2023-24 campaign before contributing five goals in 22 Championship games in 2024-25 as the Black Cats secured promotion. In the Premier League this season, Mundle has made 13 appearances to date, continuing to establish himself as part of Régis Le Bris’ attacking rotation.
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Sunderland are understood to be working with the relevant authorities to identify those responsible for the alleged abuse. Racism in any form is a criminal offence, and football authorities continue to push for stronger measures to tackle discriminatory behaviour both inside stadiums and online. This is not the first time Mundle has been subjected to such abuse. In February 2025, Sunderland also condemned racist messages sent to the winger following a 1-0 home defeat to Hull City.
On that occasion, the then 21-year-old shared a screenshot of a discriminatory message he had received via Instagram. Sunderland responded by reiterating their zero-tolerance stance on all forms of discrimination and pledged to pursue the matter with the relevant authorities. In a statement at the time, the club said it would again seek “the strongest possible action” against those responsible and confirmed it would continue working with the authorities, the EFL and social media platforms to protect its players.
The club also called on Meta, the parent company of Instagram, to do more to tackle online abuse and remove discriminatory content more swiftly. Despite repeated campaigns across English football aimed at stamping out racism, players continue to face abuse online, prompting ongoing calls for stronger regulation and more robust sanctions.
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