The Premier League has released a statement in regards to online discriminatory abuse and the actions the league will be taking moving forward. Chief Executive Richard Masters said the league will be working to eradicate online abuse by setting up a system in which players, managers, coaches, and their family members can receive support.
“Online discriminatory abuse is unacceptable in any walk of life and tackling this issue must be a priority. There are too many instances of footballers and their families receiving appalling discriminatory messages; nobody should have to deal with this. Our central reporting system has been developed to provide a rapid response and support for any players, managers, and coaches who have been victims of serious online discrimination, whether targeted at themselves or family members.”
“Our commitment is to review each case and to take immediate follow-up action. We have recently been made aware of the wholly unacceptable online racist abuse received by Ian Wright. The Premier League strongly condemns this deeply offensive behavior. We immediately implemented our reporting system and will support Ian in any endeavor to bring the offenders to justice.”
“The Premier League will not tolerate discriminatory behavior in any form and we, alongside The FA, EFL, PFA, and LMA will continue to challenge major social media companies that fail to do enough to block offensive discriminatory material and identify and ban offenders from their platforms. The Premier League and its clubs will also continue to work with the police, Crown Prosecution Service, and Kick It Out to identify and ban offenders from Premier League grounds.”
The statement comes on the back of a number of social movements for equality around the world and while not in response, come days after a ‘White Lives Matter – Burnley’ sign was flown above the Etihad Stadium in Manchester during the City v Burnley game.
