Premier League stars plan 24 hour social media boycott in stand against racism in football

A group Premier League players will have a 24-hour social media boycott on Friday to take a stand against racism in football.

The #Enough campaign has been co-ordinated by the Professional Footballers’ Association and already has the backing of Danny Rose, Vincent Kompany, Chris Smalling, Ashley Young, Wilfried Zaha, Troy Deeney and Wes Morgan.

They represent six of the 20 Premier League clubs — Tottenham Hotspur, the two Manchester clubs, Crystal Palace, Watford and Leicester City — and the hope is that more players across football will join them.

The campaign is encouraging players not to use social media — including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook — between 9am on Friday and 9am on Saturday, to let their silence do the talking.

High-profile incidents

Football has been rocked by a succession of high-profile racism incidents this season, internationally, in the Premier League and Football League and players have repeatedly been calling out racism abuse on social media.

In the past fortnight, Watford captain Deeney disabled the comments on one of his social media accounts after receiving racist abuse. Manchester United defender Young was also subjected to racist abuse by his own supporters following their Champions League defeat to Barcelona.

Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling has been leading the way in calling out racism — in the media and online — directed at footballers since he was abused by Chelsea supporters when City played at Stamford Bridge last December.

Sterling, Rose and Callum Hudson-Odoi all spoke out after they were subjected to racism by Montenegro supporters during England’s Euro 2020 qualifier. Rose later said that he could not wait to retire from football due to the current state of the game. Crystal Palace winger Zaha also recently called out racist abuse he received online.

Only last year Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings told i of the extreme racist abuse that players were being subjected to on social media on a regular basis.

Sending a message

This latest campaign is intended to send a message that players have had enough at the abuse they are receiving and that they expect social media bosses and the authorities to take stronger action to stop it.

The PFA said in a statement: “Over the last few months, both domestically and internationally, there have been a number of high-profile racist incidents directed at players. The boycott acts as a show of unity by the players, and a call for stronger action to be taken by social networks and footballing authorities in response to racist abuse both on and off the pitch.

“Players recognise that these racist incidents are a reflection of societal issues. They know first-hand how damaging racism can be and are using their platforms to inspire change that will benefit players, football and society as a whole.

“The boycott is the first step in a longer campaign to tackle racism in football. The PFA will continue to work closely with the FA and government to ensure more is done to tackle racist abuse, while also seeking to put pressure on both Fifa and Uefa through FIFPro.

“The campaign seeks to shine a light on the need for social media platforms to take responsibility to address racism received by professional footballers and other users online.

“The PFA is encouraging all its members to post a #Enough graphic on their social media platforms before the 24-hour boycott.”

What the players say

Manchester United defender, Chris Smalling said:

“Throughout my career I have developed a thick skin against verbal abuse, justifying it as just ‘part of the game’ but the time has come for Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to consider regulating their channels, taking responsibility for protecting the mental health of users regardless of age, race, sex or income.

“I understand that I am in an extremely privileged position and I am deeply thankful for that but, at the end of the day, we are all human. As a patron of a youth education charity it is my duty to use my platform as a voice for all, regardless of background. We have to take a greater stand against discrimination of all kinds.”

Tottenham and England defender, Danny Rose said:

“When I said that I can’t wait to see the back of football, it is because of the racism that I, and many other players, have been subjected to our entire careers.

“Football has a problem with racism.

“I don’t want any future players to go through what I’ve been through in my career. Collectively, we are simply not willing to stand-by while too little is done by football authorities and social media companies to protect players from this disgusting abuse.”

Watford captain, Troy Deeney said:

“My teammates and I have been on the receiving end of well documented abuse from a minority of narrow-minded, ignorant people both on social media and on the pitch. Any racism in football is too much, and it’s essential that we fight it wherever and whenever we see it.

“On Friday we are sending a message to anyone that abuses players – or anyone else – whether from the crowd or online, that we won’t tolerate it within football.

“The boycott is just one small step, but the players are speaking out with one voice against racism – enough is enough.”