racist

A 60-year-old man has admitted sending abusive social media messages to England footballer Jess Carter.

Nigel Dewale sent the posts to Carter’s TikTok account during the Uefa Women’s Euro 2025 tournament last summer, which defending champions the Lionesses went on to win.

The messages included a derogatory reference to Carter’s race and suggested people with brown skin were “murderers” and “groomers”.

Dewale, of Great Harwood in Lancashire, appeared at Blackburn Magistrates’ Court on Friday where he pleaded guilty to sending a malicious message via a public communications network between 19 and 23 June last year.

He also pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon, namely an extendable baton, in a private place in February.

Magistrates adjourned the case until 25 March for pre-sentence reports and warned Dewale, of Prospect Street, that all sentencing options were open including prison.

Dewale was granted unconditional bail.

Central defender Carter plays her club football for American side Gotham FC in the National Women’s Soccer League, having previously represented Chelsea and Birmingham City in the UK.

The 28-year-old, from Warwick, previously said she was stepping away from social media after she was subjected to racist abuse online during the tournament.

Lancashire Police said the UK Football Policing Unit launched an investigation in July and traced the messages to Dewale, who was arrested in August.

Mark Roberts, Chief Constable for Cheshire Police and the national lead for football policing, said: “Dewale’s comments were totally abhorrent, they caused emotional distress for Miss Carter and her family and I welcome the guilty plea entered today.

“We have been clear that hate crime online or in person, is not acceptable and as we have shown in this case, you cannot hide behind a social media profile to post vile comments and spread hate.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv have been given a suspended one-match away fan ban from Uefa for “racist and/or discriminatory behaviour” by it supporters during last week’s Europa League game at German side Stuttgart.

The Israeli club, whose supporters were barred from attending an away match at Aston Villa in November because of safety concerns, were also fined 20,000 euros (£17,550) for their fans’ conduct during the fixture on 11 December.

Uefa’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) said Maccabi’s ban from selling tickets to their fans for their next away match in a Uefa competition will be “suspended for a probationary period of two years.”

Stuttgart won the match 4-1, leaving Maccabi with only one point from six matches in the league phase of the Europa League.

Maccabi lost 2-0 to Premier League club Villa in the competition last month when travelling fans were not permitted at the match in Birmingham after a decision by the city’s Safety Advisory Group.

The move was widely criticised with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling the decision “wrong” and adding “we will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets”.

West Midlands Police chiefs were called to give evidence to the Home Affairs Committee of MPs on 1 December.

Committee chair Karen Bradley has requested further information from the police and Birmingham City Council about the decision-making which led to the ban of Maccabi supporters.