Coventry threaten to walk off if they suffer repeat of racist abuse at Sheffield Wednesday

When Coventry City plays Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup fourth round, they will be visiting Hillsborough for the second time in a week. However, racism will spoil their Championship matchup.

If Coventry City’s players encounter any sort of racist taunt, manager Mark Robins has said they will just leave the field.

The severe warning follows last weekend’s play at Sheffield Wednesday, where winger Kasey Palmer was the focus of racist taunts. Palmer, a former Chelsea trainee, was the target of offensive gestures made by a member of the audience.

The Owls have issued a statement denouncing this behavior and a video showcasing their resolve to address the problem. Meanwhile, Robins has disclosed that Coventry’s officials are talking about taking decisive action in the event that something similar happens again.

Tomorrow, January 26, the Sky Blues will make their way back to Hillsborough for their FA Cup fourth-round match. Robins assured the Mirror that his team’s position is clear, saying, “This week, there has been a lot of talk that if it happens again, we’ll walk off the field. That has the support of all.”

He continued, reiterating the support of all for this difficult decision: “And I think that’s what we should do if it happens again. The players know this, and they ought to know it.

Doug King, the owner, is in favor of them. He has openly stated as much. It must be stated in order for everyone to be aware of the repercussions.”

In an emotional address, Robins called on society to “grow up” and emphasized the harm that the previous week had done on Palmer. “Kasey’s been okay,” he said. That is not to say, however, that it has not affected him.

“You cannot comprehend the experience of racism unless you have been a victim of it. Racism of any kind has no place in society, much less on a field or in a stadium.

“This is really crucial. It must end. It is important to find the offender, deal with them, and make an example of them. Because the great majority of people are rational, reasonable individuals, Kasey’s social media post questioning whether it will ever change is derogatory to a certain segment of the population.”

Palmer handled the issue admirably, according to Robins, who stated: “I think he has behaved brilliantly within all of this.” He serves as an illustration. And based on that, I believe he will try to change things where he can.

“He is an adult. His family will expect him to set an example for them. We are here to help him get through it. The situation has received attention; perhaps it can be resolved, but there is a larger problem.

“We need to make sure that this alters. You consider that and strive to positively impact the situation by making a change. Bigotry has long been a problem for people. Something has to give. We ought to be more advanced than we currently appear.”

Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, was urged to take action by Robins in his closing remarks. “There has to be wider-ranging consequences as well as has been alluded to,” he said.

“FIFA president Gianni Infantino has come out and said what he thinks – let’s see now what he does in terms of backing it up.”