After missing penalties against Morocco, Dutch players hit by racist abuse

After Morocco eliminated the Netherlands on penalties to reach the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, three Dutch players who missed in the shootout were subjected to racist and discriminatory abuse on social media.

Following the 1-1 draw and Morocco's 3-2 penalty shootout victory, Justin Kluivert, Quinten Timber and Crysencio Summerville were inundated with hateful messages online, prompting them to disable comments on their social media accounts.

According to NL Times, the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) said it would report the abuse to Meld Online Discriminatie, the country's online discrimination reporting center. The body will determine whether the messages constitute criminal offences, a step that could lead to a formal complaint and a criminal investigation.

«Football has the power to unite millions of people from all backgrounds, while discrimination only divides them. That is fundamentally incompatible with everything the sport stands for,» a KNVB spokesperson said.