i sport will join the boycott of social media this weekend to protest against racism and other forms of hate online.
The initiative, designed to take place across a busy weekend of sporting fixtures, was announced last week by a coalition of the UK’s biggest football bodies including the Premier League, Football Association, Women’s Super League and EFL.
The boycott will take place from 3pm on Friday 30 April until 11.59pm on Monday 3 May. Posts from i‘s @ipapersport accounts on Facebook and Twitter will be suspended at this time.
“As a collective, the game recognises the considerable reach and value ofsocial mediato our sport. The connectivity and access to supporters who are at the heart of football remains vital,” the coalition said in a statement.
“However, the boycott shows English football coming together to emphasise that social media companies must do more to eradicate online hate, while highlighting the importance of educating people in the ongoing fight against discrimination.”
The coalition has since been joined by international governing bodies Fifa and Uefa, organisations and clubs in rugby union, rugby league, cricket, tennis, horse racing, cycling and other sports as well as some of the UK’s largest media companies including the Guardian, The Sun, Sky Sports, Talksport and BT Sport.
Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton and Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson are among a host of leading athletes who have announced they will take part in the blackout.
“We at i have long campaigned vociferously for change regarding abuse online,” said i sports editor Ally McKay. “In agenda-setting interviews with Tyrone Mings, Wes Morgan, Marvin Sordell and Emile Heskey among many others, we have told the horrifying stories of racial abuse suffered by some of the nation’s most famous and celebrated footballers. We stand with them today in demanding social media companies take action to try to eradicate hatred from their platforms.”
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3aS4XGh
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