LONDON, Feb 2, 2021 (AFP) – Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has pledged to
fund efforts to stamp out discrimination after several Premier League stars,
including Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, were subjected to online
abuse.
Just hours after United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer repeated calls for
social media platforms to tackle racist abuse, Abramovich joined the fight
against internet trolls.
Chelsea defender Reece James, West Brom’s Romaine Sawyers and Rashford’s
team-mates Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial have also suffered online racist
abuse over the past week.
Abramovich is understood to have written to each member of the Chelsea
men’s squad, including James, to express how “appalled” he was by the abuse
and his renewed desire to fight it.
“I am appalled by the racist abuse targeted at Reece on social media,”
Abramovich said.
“Racism has no place in our club nor in our society. Our club is committed
to fighting racism, anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination.
“We cannot allow this to continue unchecked. I have therefore directed the
board to further increase the club’s efforts in this area and I will
personally direct more funds towards this important work.”
Russian billionaire Abramovich wants Chelsea to “do more to challenge
discrimination at our club, in our communities and in the world around us”.
Solskjaer, who last week echoed the club’s condemnation of the “mindless
idiots” who abused Tuanzebe and Martial, faced more questions about the issue
after Rashford was attacked following Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Arsenal.
“This way of discrimination on social media, we can’t do a lot can we?” he
said on Monday at a pre-match press conference.
“So we have to work with the platforms and they’ve got to be stronger to
make sure that we stop this.”
Solskjaer, whose side host Southampton on Tuesday, said: “We all know
there’s freedom of speech but this crosses a line of what’s unacceptable.
“It’s absolutely unacceptable behaviour in 2021 with the education. You
feel the ignorance or you feel sorry for them — that’s what I always say.
“We’ve just got to help them and sometimes you help them by taking away the
chance of expressing themselves, especially when they’re anonymous.”
Rashford, a high-profile campaigner against child food poverty,
acknowledged the racist abuse on Saturday but chose not to share offending
screenshots.
“Humanity and social media at its worst,” he tweeted. “Yes I’m a black man
and I live every day proud that I am.”
Police are investigating racist comments sent to United players and
arrested a 49-year-old man on suspicion of racially abusing Sawyers.
Britain’s Prince William, who is president of the English Football
Association, on Sunday branded the racist abuse directed at footballers
“despicable”.
“We all have a responsibility to create an environment where such abuse is
not tolerated, and those who choose to spread hate and division are held
accountable for their actions,” he tweeted.
“That responsibility extends to the platforms where so much of this
activity now takes place.”