Footballers backing #Enough anti-racism campaign suffer more racist abuse
The Professional Footballers' Association says it is inviting players to report any racist abuse they have received to officials.
Saturday 20 April 2019 18:40, UK
Footballers who boycotted social media for 24 hours in a protest against racism have received further abuse online for taking part in the campaign.
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) launched the #Enough campaign in a bid to display solidarity with football stars who had been previously targeted.
It is also calling for social media giants and sport organisations to do more to combat racism in football. Social networks issued responses highlighting the work they did to tackle the issue.
However, the PFA said there had been more abuse directed at those involved after their social media silence started at 9am on Friday.
The players' union wrote on Twitter: "On Friday, some members received racist abuse on their #Enough posts. When these incidents were reported, the response from social networks was - again - unacceptable.
"In the coming days, we will be inviting players to report any racist abuse they have received to us. We will collate it and share it with social platforms to demonstrate the impact of their lack of action.
"We will be requesting meetings with each of the social platforms as a matter of priority. Meetings with the FA and government are planned for next month.
"This is a first step in a larger player-led campaign to tackle racism and demand meaningful change."
Manchester United's Chris Smalling was one of the stars backing the campaign after he was abused on Twitter following his team's defeat to Barcelona on Tuesday.
Other footballers - including Mohamed Salah, Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - have also been targeted on the social media platform.
A spate of attacks online and at stadiums sparked renewed concern over racism in football.
England's black players were subjected to racist chants during their Euro 2020 qualifier in Montenegro last month.
Tottenham's Danny Rose recently said he "had enough" of the racial abuse, saying he "can't wait" to quit the sport.