Manchester, Merseyside clubs unite to condemn racism in social media
06 Feb 2021 - 13:53
Manchester United s Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial during the warm up before the match Pool via REUTERS/Laurence Griffiths
Reuters
Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Everton have joined forces to condemn the racial abuse suffered by players, officials and supporters on social media.
United s Marcus Rashford, Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial, Chelsea s Reece James, West Bromwich Albion s Romaine Sawyers and Southampton s Alex Jankewitz are among those to have received racist abuse online in recent weeks.
With United set to host Everton on Saturday and City travelling to Liverpool on Sunday, the four clubs came together with the mayors of Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region in a show of solidarity.
Celebrities and sports stars say keyboard assassins would give up their toxic attacks if forced to reveal themselves.
Mr Dowden was asked by Tory MP Saqib Bhatti if social media firms should hire UK moderators who “understand nuances in the English language”.
Mr Dowden said: “Many people are concerned moderators are not actually based in the UK and speed of response is crucial.
“Through our Online Safety Bill we will require social media companies to take swift and effective action against criminal abuse online.
“We’ll put in place effective user reporting and redress mechanisms.”
Oliver Dowden said companies like Facebook and Twitter have UK staff who can identify hate language (Image: Getty)
Campaigners have backed moves to restrict heading in training in professional football after a government-led summit looking at head injuries in sport.Dawn Astle, the daughter of the former England
England is set to become the first country to curb the amount of heading involved in professional training in a bid to tackle football s dementia crisis.
Charlotte Cowie, the Football Association s head of medicine, told The Telegraph that the incoming restrictions will be primarily aimed at coaches who run extensive heading drills.
Cowie said that heading is among the most likely risk factors for the risk of dementia among former professionals.
Measures to limit the amount of heading in training could be soon introduced in England
The new measures are mainly there to curb extensive heading drills carried out in training
Britains Prince William has branded racist abuse directed at footballers despicable and said it must stop now after Manchester Uniteds Marcus Rashford became the latest player to be targeted. William, who is the president of the Football Association, spoke out on Sunday after the Professional ..