BRISTOL Rovers say they are “infuriated” by racist abuse directed at striker Shaq Forde in the aftermath of Saturday’s League One match at Reading.

The former York City loanee was sent a message containing “racist and abusive language” on Instagram following Rovers’ 1-0 defeat.

Forde, who became the youngest player to score a City hat-trick last January, was sent off during the early stages of the second half, having been shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball away after a free-kick had been awarded.

Rovers released a statement condemning the abuse titled ‘Enough is Enough’, in which they also criticised the “old methods of ‘combating racism’”, saying that “carefully-crafted press releases and saturated social media posts” are “not working.”

The statement reads: “Bristol Rovers is infuriated by racist abuse directed at Shaq Forde in the aftermath of Saturday’s Sky Bet League One match at Reading.

“Shortly after the match an account on Instagram messaged Shaq, the contents of which contained abusive and racist language.

“Shaq and several other Bristol Rovers players reported the abuse to us and we, in turn, will assist the Police and Meta in their respective investigations.

“We will always, unequivocally, stand side-by-side with any victim of discriminatory abuse. The Club is committed to educating on the damage that any form of abuse has.

“Shaq is not the only Bristol Rovers player to receive racial abuse, with an incident under investigation only last week. Even more sickening is that some of these messages come from individuals claiming to be Bristol Rovers supporters. Each time, the Club has sought to act in the appropriate manner. As we made clear in this statement only a few short weeks ago, we will continue to do so.

“But what is becoming increasingly clear is the same old methods of ‘combating’ racism - the carefully-crafted press releases and saturated social media posts - simply are not working.

“Enough Is Enough.

“We are sick and tired of racist behaviour blighting sport. Our players are sick and tired of vile racist abuse that is thoughtlessly shared in response to performances in their job. Our supporters - our real supporters - are sick and tired of being in any way associated with those ‘fans’ who comfortably send such abhorrent messages.

“We will not tolerate it.

“To the person who sent Shaq this racist message, and to any person who claims to be a Gashead [Bristol Rovers fan] and engages in similarly deplorable behaviour, we simply say this:

“You are not a Bristol Rovers fan. You are not welcome at The Memorial Stadium. We do not want your support.

“Discrimination in any form will not be accepted at Bristol Rovers and we urge all supporters to join us in unison with this message.

“Enough is Enough.”

Forde became the youngest City player to score a hat-trick in a 4-1 win against Maidstone United in January 2023.Forde became the youngest City player to score a hat-trick in a 4-1 win against Maidstone United in January 2023. (Image: Tom Poole) Reading also released a statement, saying: “Reading Football Club strongly condemns the racist abuse sent to Bristol Rovers player Shaq Forde in the aftermath of Saturday’s Sky Bet League One match between the two clubs.

“The club has a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of discrimination, and we will work alongside Saturday's visitors to ensure the perpetrator is identified and evidence is provided to the relevant authorities.

“Finally, Reading Football Club would like to pass our support onto Shaq. No individual, whether on or off the pitch, should be subjected to such abuse. We stand by you Shaq.”