Duane Holmes subject to racial abuse by Brentford fan

Over the weekend several players in England reported being racially abused during or prior to matches or online, including American midfielder Duane Holmes. The player reported a Brentford fan abusing him to the police during Derby County’s 3-3 away draw according to Sky Sports. The man was “accused of committing a racially-aggravated public order offence” according to a statement from Brentford. The team also noted that they will cooperate with police and condemned the abuse.

Holmes has spent his entire professional career in England and transferred from Scunthorpe United to Derby at the beginning of the season. He has two goals and an assist in 2018-19 for the club and has earned regular starting minutes for Frank Lampard’s side since the start of January. He was born in Columbus, Georgia and is eligible to play for the US Men’s National Team, though he has not been called into any camps.

In addition to Homes, Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha and Wigan Athletic’s Nathan Bryne were racially abused online and Northampton players were racially abused in front of their hotel prior to the team’s match with Notts County. Those instances followed Juventus forward Moise Kean being subject to racist taunts by Cagliari fans in their match this past week.