Exeter appeal for witnesses after Monye alleges racial abuse

Exeter Chiefs have appealed for witnesses and passed CCTV footage along with “all relevant information” to police after Ugo Monye reported being racially abused outside Sandy Park on Sunday. The TNT Sports pundit and commentator said he was targeted after Exeter’s Premiership victory against Gloucester, describing the incident as “the most blatant racism I’ve seen from a supporter at a live game”. In a statement released yesterday the Chiefs said: “Exeter Rugby Club have been working closely alongside Devon & Cornwall Police following the reported incident of racial abuse on Sunday 19th November, which took place outside of the stadium and not within our grounds, at the conclusion of our Gallagher Premiership match with Gloucester Rugby. “The incident was captured on CCTV and this evidence along with all relevant information has been passed to Devon & Cornwall Police and the club will continue to work closely with the authorities to support their investigations.” On Sunday Premiership Rugby and Gloucester expressed support for the former England and Harlequins wing after Exeter announced they had launched a “full investigation”. Yesterday, the British & Irish Lions posted on Twitter: “The abuse experienced by Ugo over the weekend is a reminder that we all need to stand up to racism. It has no place in our sport or society.” The south-west club added in yesterday’s statement: “Exeter Chiefs have a zero-tolerance policy for behaviour of this kind, and we have acted as quickly as possible to ensure that this has been dealt with following the advice of all appropriate authorities. “We would ask anyone who has any information regarding this incident to contact Devon & Cornwall Police quoting 258 20/11/23.” Meanwhile, the World Cupwinning South Africa second-row Hannes Strydom has died at the age of 58. Strydom, who helped the Springboks lift the Webb Ellis Cup for the first time in 1995, was killed in a car accident on Sunday evening. He won 21 Test caps between 1993 and 1997.