Former Watford midfielder Pierre Dwomoh has been suspended for 11 matches after the Football Association found him guilty of racially abusing an Under-21 team-mate during two separate incidents last year.
The 22-year-old Belgian, who left Watford in April, was sanctioned by an independent disciplinary commission, which described his behaviour as “very serious” and “completely unacceptable”. In addition to the suspension, Dwomoh has been fined £2,500 and ordered to complete a face-to-face education programme by 9 August.
The incidents occurred before Watford Under-21 fixtures in October and November 2025 and involved a team-mate of Indian heritage, identified in the commission’s written findings only as “Player A”. The FA heard that Dwomoh directed a series of discriminatory remarks towards the player, including comments questioning his ethnicity and referring to his skin colour. On another occasion, he made a stereotypical remark about running a corner shop.
According to the commission, Dwomoh initially failed to take responsibility for his actions and instead attempted to persuade the victim to withdraw his complaint. He later admitted both charges and apologised, claiming the remarks had started as jokes and insisting he had not intended to be racist. The disciplinary panel rejected that defence, ruling that the language used amounted to serious discriminatory abuse.
One of the incidents was overheard by a member of Watford’s sports science staff, prompting the Championship club to investigate before reporting the matter to the Football Association. Evidence presented during the hearing revealed that Player A became visibly distressed after learning safeguarding staff were aware of the incident and was left in tears. The commission also heard that Dwomoh later described the remarks as “just banter” and accused the player of benefiting from the situation at his expense.
Watford confirmed they supported the outcome of the disciplinary process and had removed Dwomoh from selection immediately after the incident was reported internally. The midfielder’s departure from the club was announced in April, with the suspension backdated to that date.
The Football Association appealed for a tougher punishment, arguing that the ban should be increased to 16 matches because the abuse occurred on more than one occasion. However, the appeal was dismissed, leaving the original 11-match suspension in place.
Dwomoh joined Watford from Belgian side Royal Antwerp in 2024 after beginning his professional career with Genk and spending loan spells at Braga, Oostende and RWD Molenbeek. He made only a handful of senior appearances for the Hornets before leaving the club earlier this year.
The case is the latest example of the Football Association taking disciplinary action over discriminatory behaviour, with the governing body continuing to emphasise that racism has no place in football at any level.
