Yahoo Sports Cardiff's Meite hits back at fan 'abuse'
Cardiff City striker Yakou Meite says he has stopped applauding the club's supporters after matches due to "abuse" he has received from some fans.
The 28-year-old striker has published a letter on social media addressing messages he has received, some of which he says are not football related.
The Ivory Coast international has scored three goals in 63 appearances since joining the Bluebirds in July 2023.
Meite's post on X read: "Hi all. Just wanted to speak out after a difficult few weeks where I received and read a lot of comments, abuse in my inbox by our own fans about me and some are definitely out of football.
"I am someone who usually likes to stop at every game, clap the fans and have a good connexion (sic) with them, but after all the abuse I received this past few weeks I decided to stop doing it and I'm REALLY sorry for those people who are still supporting me and trusting me."
It is not the first time Meite has hit back at critical Cardiff supporters.
In November, he celebrated scoring against Coventry by putting his fingers to his lips, in what appeared to be a gesture aimed at critics on social media.
His goal during the 2-2 draw at the CBS Arena remains his only goal this season.
In his latest post Meite added: "Honestly at some point, it's difficult to know who is with you or against. We are all human and you guys should also understand this can hurt people and change them.
"I will always give my all for the club until the end, but I will never accept to always be the problem when things are going wrong. We should focus on our target together, I'm not your problem."
Cardiff manager Omer Riza has also taken to social media to defend his player:
"No matter how he plays or performs at times, one thing from Yak is that he always does things fully and wholeheartedly," posted Riza.
"He trains hard and cares about the group that surrounds him. It's more than just football, sometimes it can be hard to manage emotions, I'm a prime example of that."
