West Ham report racist abuse aimed at Hawa Cissoko to the police

West Ham have released a statement confirming they have reported a ‘number of racist and abusive messages’ directed at Hawa Cissoko following Saturday’s WSL clash with Aston Villa.

Cissoko was sent off during the game that descended into an ill-tempered affair when she took multiple swings at Villa defender Sarah Mayling, who was also guilty of aggressively pushing and shoving during the incident but remained on the pitch.

However, in the wake of the incident, Cissoko has been the target of despicable racist abuse.

“While we in no way condone Hawa’s actions on the pitch, for which she has apologised, everyone at the Club is disgusted by the hateful content of the online messages subsequently sent to her. They have been passed directly to the police and reported to the relevant social media companies,” the Hammers statement released on Thursday afternoon read.

“There is no place for this in society and we condemn it unreservedly. Hawa continues to receive the full support of everyone at the Club, including through our dedicated Employee Assistance Programme, which provides care and protection for the wellbeing of all staff.

“West Ham United continues to be unequivocal in its stance - we have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of the Football Club, and we urge social media platforms and regulatory authorities to strengthen their measures to prevent this abhorrent behaviour.”