Man receives suspended sentence for racist messages about England footballer
A 60-year-old man who posted racist messages about England defender Jess Carter online has received a suspended jail sentence, reports BritPanorama.
Nigel Dewale, from Great Harwood, Lancashire, was sentenced at Blackburn Magistrates’ Court to six weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months, after pleading guilty to sending a grossly offensive message via a public communications network during Euro 2025 last summer.
Dewale, who was intoxicated at home, made his comments in response to a news article regarding police investigations into online racial abuse directed at Carter following England’s matches against France and Sweden in the tournament.
He wrote: “Women’s football is diabolical. Should not be on national TV. Brownies are racist murders, fiddlers and groomers. End ov. Racist card again. Always brownies faking. This women’s football should not be on TV. Waste of airtime.”
The messages were traced back to Dewale, leading to his arrest and charge. Carter, 28, who plays for US team Gotham FC, was a key member of the Lionesses squad that successfully defended their title in Switzerland, featuring in all six of England’s matches and starting in the final against Spain.
Following the quarter-final against Sweden, where research indicated she was the most targeted England player, Carter went public about the abuse and announced she would step back from social media to protect her mental health. She stated, “I didn’t want to leave the hotel in case those people who were saying those things were going to be in Switzerland with us. It was quite a scary time. It totally devalues you as a human being.”
In an act of solidarity, the Lionesses opted to discontinue their anti-racism gesture of taking a knee, stating that “football needs to find another way to tackle racism” after it failed to protect their teammate. Carter later won both the Euro 2025 and the NWSL Championship, becoming the first player to achieve this distinction in the same calendar year.
In reaction to Dewale’s sentence, Carter remarked, “What I have learned from all of this is the criteria for what the police class as going over the line versus what some social media companies believe has crossed the line is a little bit different. The police might want to interfere and do something about it, but if social media companies aren’t willing to give up that information, or if they don’t feel like it’s breached their criteria, then the police can’t do anything about it.” She urged for improved cooperation between police and social media companies for a more unified approach.
The episode underscores the ongoing challenges surrounding online abuse and accountability, illustrating how discussions about racism in sport continue to evolve in the public domain.
