AFL player Mabior Chol targeted by racist online abuse after loss to Bulldogs
Consensus Summary
AFL player Mabior Chol was targeted with racist online abuse after Hawthorn's 77-71 loss to the Western Bulldogs at the MCG on June 6, 2026. Chol, a forward of South Sudanese heritage, shared screenshots of the messages on Instagram, including a caption condemning the abuse. Both the AFL and Hawthorn Football Club issued strong statements rejecting racism, with AFL CEO Andrew Dillon and Hawthorn CEO Ash Klein emphasizing that such behavior has no place in the sport. The AFL integrity unit is investigating the incident, and perpetrators could face match bans. This is not the first time Chol has faced racial abuse, having previously been targeted in 2022 while playing for the Gold Coast Suns. The clubs and league have pledged full support for Chol, with a focus on addressing the issue and preventing future incidents.
ā Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Mabior Chol received racist social media messages after Hawthorn's loss to the Western Bulldogs on 2026-06-06 (Friday night) at the MCG
- Chol posted a screenshot of the abusive messages on Instagram with the caption: 'You can talk s*** all you want but donāt be like this guy'
- AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon condemned the abuse, stating: 'Racism has no place anywhere, anytime ā not in our game, not in the community and not online'
- Hawthorn chief executive Ash Klein said: 'There is no place for racism in our game and in our society' and that the club stands with Chol
- The AFL integrity unit is working with Hawthorn to investigate the incident, and identified perpetrators could face bans from AFL matches
- Chol previously faced racial abuse in 2022 while playing for the Gold Coast Suns
- The match score was Hawthorn 12.5 (77) to Western Bulldogs 9.17 (71)
- Chol kicked an equal game-high three goals for Hawthorn in the match
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The article includes a warning: 'This article includes racist language.'
- The racist messages included terms like 'piece of f***ing shit' and 'Reply ya black dog' (exact language not repeated in Guardian).
- The language in the comments was described as 'not fit for publication' without specifying exact terms.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The ABC article explicitly states the abusive messages included 'piece of f***ing shit' and 'Reply ya black dog,' while the Guardian only notes the language was 'not fit for publication' without detailing specific terms.
Source Articles
Hawks forward target of racist online abuse after loss to Bulldogs
The AFL and Hawthorn come out in support of Mabior Chol after the Hawks forward shares a series of abusive messages he received after Friday night's match against the Bulldogs.
AFL investigating āvile and racistā abuse sent to Hawthorn player Mabior Chol
Club and AFL condemn messages received by Chol, who told social media followers ādonāt be like this guyā The AFL and the Hawthorn football club have condemned āvile and appallingā racial abuse sent to player Mabior Chol via a series of direct messages on social media. Chol, a Hawthorn forward who is of South Sudanese heritage, posted a screenshot of the comments he received on Instagram following his sideās loss to the Western Bulldogs on Friday night. The language contained in the comments were