Former Super Eagles defender Godwin Okpara has condemned racist abuse directed towards Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare and has demanded for proper action by the English club.
The striker was a target of online abuse from several accounts after he missed a penalty kick in the club’s 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
The 25-year-old’s attempt was saved by Dean Henderson in the first half of the clash, while Evan Guessand scored a late goal to snatch the win for Palace.
The West Midland club have publicly condemned the action and have also stated that they are working with the relevant authorities to arrest the perpetrators.
Arokodare has endured an inconsistent start to his career at Wolves, scoring just five times across all competitions, with only two coming in the Premier League.
Okpara demands proper action against racist abuse aimed at Arokodare
Former PSG defender Okpara, who played for the Nigerian national team between 1991 and 2001, believes proper action must be taken to prevent further occurrences in the future.
“It’s sad that this is still happening in 2026, and I believe action has to be taken against those responsible. Football is a unifying sport and racism or any form of discrimination should never be allowed in the game”, Okpara said.
“Some fans need to be completely banned from stadiums. FIFA and other football governing bodies must take strong and decisive action. Any form of racism or discrimination is totally unacceptable in football.”
The former Nigerian defender also called for patience on the performance of Arokodare, citing the striker’s slow adaptation as a major cause of his poor form.
“Fans can be impatient, but in football you don’t always get immediate results,” he said. “A player may need time to adapt to the system. This is his first season in England and the team was not in good shape before his arrival”, Okpara added.
“He did not have a preseason with them, which could be one of the reasons he is struggling. They need to give him time — perhaps wait until next season and see what happens. After that, they can start discussing whether to move him elsewhere. He could even go to another league and start scoring goals, so how would they explain that?”
Meanwhile, Wolves will be back in action on Friday night when they face Aston Villa, hoping for a win to boost their slim hopes of survival.
