Soccer star’s race hate hell revealed in Erin Molan Sky News Australia documentary

Kusini Yengi was just 22 when he experienced racial abuse on social media, his harrowing story picked up by Erin Molan in her documentary on online trolling on Sky News Australia tonight.

Western Sydney Wanderers striker Kusini Yengi was just 22 when he experienced visceral racial abuse on social media – because he was celebrating a goal.

The A-league player was playing for Adelaide United in 2021 when he scored a goal against Melbourne Victory.

What was supposed to be a special memory for the rising star spurred something much uglier: online trolling because of his racial background.

“My phone was blowing up, some supportive but the majority a lot of abuse from people I’m assuming were Melbourne Victory fans who were not too happy with the way I celebrated that goal,” the Adelaide-born player of half-Sudanese, half-English background told The Daily Telegraph.

“None of the messages had to do with me as a footballer, (it was) more towards me being black and young and expressing myself.”

Target of racial abuse... Western Sydney Wanderer striker Kusini Yengi. Picture: Richard Dobson

The 23-year-old said he faced a seemingly endless cycle of abuse. “Generally, as soon as you leave the pitch, the abuse would stop and you’re free again,” he said.

“But with all the stuff … on social media, I’d get home and I’d be sitting in my living room … supposed to be my safe space … where I can relax, but then I’d go to check my phone and then bang, someone would be abusing me.”

Mr Yengi’s experience with online trolling will be extensively fleshed out in an interview with Erin Molan in a documentary, Haters Online: Erin Molan Fights Back, premiering on Sky News Australia on Tuesday night.

Documentary.... Erin Molan. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

The true identity of cyber trolls may surprise you.

It comes as a world-first partnership between the A-League and Professional Footballers Australia, the players’ union, and software company GoBubble Community aims to shield players from abuse on social media.

Scanning for offensive words, phrases, symbols, images and emojis, the technology stops the user and their followers from seeing it.

Kusini Yengi in action for the Wanderers. Picture: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

The A-League is the first sporting code in Australia to implement it after an increasing number of sports stars called on social media platforms to do better in censoring online abuse.

“Obviously I’d wish that it didn’t have to come down to having some software that had to filter these comments,” Mr Yengi said. “It’d be better if people didn’t make these comments in the first place.”