The Port Adelaide Football Club has condemned a racist post directed towards Indigenous AFL player Junior Rioli.

The racial comment targeted at Rioli was made on Facebook after Port’s win against Essendon on Sunday.

In a statement, the Port Adelaide Football Club said that racist comments like these “cause deep distress and harm”.

“Racism does not belong in our society, and nor in our national game,” they said.

“We will continue to call this reprehensible behaviour out and use our voice to educate our fans and the broader community.

The incident comes as a decision was made to send Rioli directly to the tribunal over his off-the-ball collision with Essendon player Jordan Ridley on Sunday.

The Bomber was left concussed and will miss at least one match under the AFL protocols.

Multiple reports of racial abuse directed towards Indigenous players have been made to the AFL’s integrity unit this season.

Last month, the Fremantle Dockers condemned the “racist and homophobic abuse” of Nathan Wilson and Michael Walters, the Brisbane Lions reported racist comments allegedly made towards forward Charlie Cameron, and Adelaide Crows star Izak Rankine called out a racist message he received on social media — all within 24 hours.

In March, an investigation was launched into alleged “harmful and abhorrent racist remarks” targeted at Western Bulldogs forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.

It comes after the league introduced a zero-tolerance approach to racial abuse this season, increasing the penalty for racial vilification from a three-year suspension to a life-time ban.

On Saturday, the AFL revealed that nine football fans had been banned from attending games for life and a further five were being investigated for racially abusing players.

The AFL has also recently appointed a full-time investigator to focus on reports of racism in all levels of football.