August 20 – Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has become the third player in a week to be the subject of racist abuse on social media in England after missing a penalty.
The French international star, who has never totally settled at United, had a second-half spotkick saved during United’s 1-1 draw with Wolves on Monday.
It was the fourth time the £89 million midfielder had missed in the past year and straight away he was subjected to a tirade of disgusting, offensive posts on Twitter.
On Sunday, Reading striker Yakou Meite made public racist abuse he was sent via social media after his spot-kick was also saved.
Last week, Chelsea condemned “abhorrent posts” aimed at Tammy Abraham after his Super Cup final penalty miss against Liverpool.
English football prides itself on being multi-cultural and tolerant but such instances strongly suggest a return to the dark days of racism amidst changing attitudes. Social media platform Twitter – which self regulates itself and hides behind its supposed ‘free speech’ ethos – has done nothing to step in or take action.
In July, the anti-racism charity Kick It Out produced a survey that showed reports of racist abuse increased by 43% last season, with 274 cases compared with 192 the previous campaign.
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