Norwich City: The Farke Knight to return despite online abuse

Former Norwich manager Daniel Farke posing with charity fundraiser Lee Clark, also known as the Farke Knight

A Norwich City fan who dresses up as a superhero inspired by ex-manager Daniel Farke vowed to return to Carrow Road for the first time in months despite "sickening" abuse.

Lee Clark, known as The Farke Knight, had worn his costume at games from 2019.

He stopped attending matches in October last year after online abuse.

However, Mr Clark said he now "can't wait to go back" after being offered tickets by Norwich goalkeeper Tim Krul.

Mr Clark, who is originally from Great Yarmouth but now lives in Southend, Essex, said he had been overwhelmed by the "phenomenal" response from fans after tweeting about his negative experience.

Krul was one of those who replied to Mr Clark's post at the weekend about how the hostility had taken its toll on his mental health.

"I'm going back because of all the love and support that all the Norwich City fans have shown me," said Mr Clark.

"I've got to scroll past any negative comments.

"The love outweighs the hate every single time, but it's a shame that the hate sticks in our mind."

The Farke Knight with Norwich's Finnish international striker Teemu Pukki

The Farke Knight was targeted online by trolls every time he appeared on TV screens, he said

Mr Clark said he started to get inundated by a "stupid amount" of social media notifications every time TV cameras picked him out at matches.

He said the trolling started to weigh on his mind.

"It made me feel physically sick and I was questioning myself - 'what am I doing it for?'," said the caped Canaries fan, who raised £38,000 for charity last year.

"I wasn't enjoying it any more; I was just constantly worried about what they were going to say."

Lee Clark said he was on a mission to make people smile while raising money for charities

Mr Clark, who has had a season ticket since 2014 and supported the club since he was a boy, said his role as The Farke Knight had started off well.

People wanted photos with him and his eye-catching costume helped boost his fundraising, with Mr Clark saying he had made £176,000 for various charities since 2006.

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He now wants to raise £250,000 by 2026.

"People think I dress up to embarrass the club, but I don't do that," said Mr Clark.

"I want to be the unofficial mascot; I want to bring smiles and bring awareness to the charities I'm raising money for.

"Maybe the trolls might think 'why am I being abusive?'.

"I do draw attention to myself, but I do it so I can get an extra pound in the charity bucket."