The Football Association has pledged to work with the government and social media to end racial harassment following a series of incidents. Chelsea defender Reece James, West Brom’s Romine Sawyers and Manchester United duo Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial have all been racially abused this week and on Saturday night Marcus Rashford said he had received attacking messages after United’s draw at Arsenal.
Rashford’s Reaction
In a series of tweets, Rashford said he chose not to share screenshots of the messages he was sent as “it would be irresponsible to do so… I have beautiful kids of different colors who follow me and don’t need to read them. ”
The Manchester United player described the harassment as “humanity and social media at its worst. Yes I’m a black man and I live every day proud that I am. No one, or no one comment, is going to make me feel any different. So sorry if you were looking for a strong reaction, you’re just simply not going to get it here.”
Earlier, the governing body reiterated its commitment to the fight against racism, saying: “We are united with all of football in our abhorrence of racist abuse … We will continue to work with the rest of the game, the government and social media to remove this, and all elements of, discrimination from our sport.”
‘End Racism’
James also received support from the England national team. A Twitter account of the team posted: “Every time one of our players – or anyone else – is subjected to harassment, that increases our determination to end racism in the game. It is our job to drive change and ensure that no one has to endure what Reece has. ”
The FA has spoken out after Chelsea threw their weight behind calls for social media companies to step up efforts to tackle trolls after James revealed he had been targeted on Friday evening. A statement issued via the Blues’ Twitter account said: “
The club finds that racism and all forms of discriminatory behavior are completely unacceptable. We totally reject it. In sports, as in the wider community, we need to create a platform where hate and racist acts are not acceptable online as they can be on the street. ”
James addressed the issue again in an Instagram post on Saturday. He wrote: “We all have a part to play in making this world a better & more equal place! Racism is completely unacceptable! Human is our only race! instagram you must do more!! #notoracism.”
His Chelsea teammates Thiago Silva and César Azpilicueta were among those to tweet in support of James. Speaking on Friday about the earlier incidents, the Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters, said: “Tackling online hate is a priority for football, and I believe social media companies need to do more.”
Relating to the abuse of Sawyers, West Midlands Police said a 49-year-old man from Kingswinford was questioned on Friday evening. The force’s football hate crime officer is also investigating reports of another racist comment towards the player.
