Premier League star Rodrigo Muniz praised by police as racist fan is banned for horror abuse

A racist Liverpool fan has been banned from football after abusing a Premier League star who scored against his team. Harry Brown, 25, targeted Fulham's Brazilian Rodrigo Muniz, 24, twice after the striker scored goals in home and away matches. He was sentenced for two malicious communications offences yesterday/today (Thurs). Brown, of Barrow, Cumbria, was also handed a three-year football banning order and ordered to undertake 150 hours of unpaid work within the next year.

Magistrates in north Cumbria heard that he sent direct messages to Mr Muniz on social media in December, 2024 which stated "f****** slave" and "hope your family gets hurt".

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The striker was targeted after he scored for Fulham in their 2-2 draw with Liverpool in a Premier League game on Merseyside. Last April, Brown sent more abuse after Muniz scored in the return fixture between Fulham and Liverpool.

Brown sent a direct message stating ‘hope your family dies’ followed by a monkey emoji and another message which stated ‘slave’.

Brown admitted the offences at a hearing last month. Speaking after the case, Chief Inspector Kim Brown, of Cumbria Police, said: “We stand against racism and condemn the vile abuse which Harry Brown sent to Mr Muniz.

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“Hate crime, in person or online, is never acceptable and you cannot hide behind a social media profile to post these despicable comments. With the support of Mr Muniz, we have pursued this case to hold Brown accountable for his actions.

"There is simply no place for this in society. We will continue to bring offenders to justice." She praised the star for his "strength to stand up and speak out".

She added: "I also want to thank the Premier League, the UK Football Policing Unit and our dedicated football officers for their determination in this investigation. They worked together to gather the evidence, identify the social media account and the person behind it, before locating and arresting him.

"I want to reassure any person out there who is subject to this level of racist abuse. We will listen and we will seek to take action.”