The highest football governing body of England, the FA (Football Association), as well as a number of other league associations and the anti-discrimination organization ‘Kick it Out’, will also be a part of the event which is expected to start on Friday 30 April.
Clubs in the Premier League, English Football League and Women’s Super League will participate in a four-day boycott of social media platforms in response to the online abuse and racism faced by the players.
Swansea City had been the first club on the British island to turn off their social media channels after several of their players were harassed online, and Birmingham City along with Steven Gerrard’s Rangers soon followed suit as they announced a similar boycott a few days later. Three weeks later almost all football clubs in the country with their respected footballing authorities have joined the cause, planning a mass boycott, supposed to be held during four matchdays both in men’s and women’s leagues. The strike will commence from 3 pm GMT on April 30th to 11.59 pm on May 3rd.
It’s simply unacceptable that people across English football and society more broadly continue to be subjected to discriminatory abuse online on a daily basis, with no real-world consequences for perpetrators. This needs to change quickly, and we continue to urge social media companies to act now to address this. We will not stop talking about this issue and will continue to work with government in ensuring that the Online Safety Bill gives sufficient regulatory and supervisory powers to Ofcom. Social media companies need to be held accountable if they continue to fall short of their moral and social responsibilities to address this endemic problem,
said Edleen John, the Director of International Relations and Co-Partner for Equality for the FA, in an official statement.
The pandemic afflicted 2020-21 season has seen an excessive surge of online harassment towards athletes with trolls, insults and most importantly racism. Both players and managers have often been at the receiving end quite often and have complained that people running the sport and social media groups are not doing their share to stop such incidents.
Arsenal legend and former French forward Thierry Henry has already quitted using social media again and declared that he won’t return until the companies in question start taking the matter with deep concern. Tottenham winger Gareth Bale has also agreed to join the protests quitting social media, with protests all across England garnering support.
Richard Masters Premier League Chief Executive said:
Racist behaviour of any form is unacceptable and the appalling abuse we are seeing players receive on social media platforms cannot be allowed to continue. The Premier League and our clubs stand alongside football in staging this boycott to highlight the urgent need for social media companies to do more in eliminating racial hatred. We will not stop challenging social media companies and want to see significant improvements in their policies and processes to tackle online discriminatory abuse on their platforms.
Social media is now sadly a regular vessel for toxic abuse. This boycott signifies our collective anger at the damage this causes to the people who play, watch and work in the game. 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. The Online Safety Bill could be a game changer and we aim to help make that happen. There should be no space for hate and everyone can play their part. If you watch, work in or love the game, join in.
‘Kick It Out’ chairperson Sanjay Bhandari added.
