Premier League, English Football League and Women’s Super League clubs will come together for a four day boycott of social media in a protest against abuse and discrimination.
On the move, Kick it Out chairman Sanjay Bhandar said, “This boycott signifies our collective anger. Social media is now sadly a regular vessel for toxic abuse.
“By removing ourselves from the platforms, we are making a symbolic gesture to those with power. We need you to act. We need you to create change.
“We need social media companies to make their platforms a hostile environment for trolls rather than for the football family.”
The move comes just under a week after the football world was thrown upside down with the announcement of the European Super League that would have taken several UK clubs away from the Premier League.
Super League plans were quickly disbanded due to political backlash, outrage from fans and disdain among players.
Sheffield United’s David McGoldrick told Sky Sports yesterday, “the Super League got cut off in 48 hours, why is racism on the back foot? It is bigger in my eyes.”
Back in March, Thierry Henry removed himself from social media platforms due to racist bullying.
The star said in a statement, “Hi Guys, from tomorrow morning I will be removing myself from social media until the people in power are able to regulate their platforms with the same vigour and ferocity that they currently do when you infringe copyright.
“The sheer volume of racism, bullying and resulting mental torture to individuals is too toxic to ignore. There HAS to be some accountability.
“It is far too easy to create an account, use it to bully and harass without any consequence and still remain anonymous.
“Until this changes, I will be disabling my accounts across all social platforms. I’m hoping this happens soon.”