Forward says he faced “at least 70 racial insults” on social media following the loss to Villarreal in Gdansk.
Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford says he has faced “at least 70 racial insults” on social media following the loss of his team to Villarreal in the Europa League final in Gdansk.
Villarreal won their first major trophy 11-10 on penalties after a 1-1 draw after overtime in Wednesday’s final.
“So far at least 70 racial insults have been counted on my social accounts,” Rashford tweeted, less than 90 minutes after the match ended. “For those who work to make me feel worse than I already do, good luck trying.”
Rashford added that he was “outraged” because they sent him “a mountain of monkey emojis” in a message from a person using a profile that identified them as a teacher.
I am more outraged because one of the abusers who left a mountain of monkey emojis in my DM is an open profile math teacher. He teaches children !! And he knows he can abuse racially without consequences …
– Marcus Rashford MBE (arMarcusRashford) May 27, 2021
A Manchester United spokesman said on Thursday in a statement that the club was “disgusted by the online hatred and abuse directed at Marcus Rashford and other players on social media after last night’s match”.
“There is simply no excuse for this and we totally condemn it,” the statement said.
“Manchester United have zero tolerance for any form of racism or discrimination and we encourage people to report it through manutd.com.
“We also urge social media platforms and regulatory authorities to step up measures to prevent this disgusting behavior.”
In January, UK police investigated abuses on social media targeting several US players. Rashford and two teammates said they had been attacked.
“Yes, I am a black man and I live every day proud to be one,” he wrote at the time. “No one, not even a comment, will make me feel different. So I’m sorry, if you were looking for a strong reaction, you just won’t get it here. “
English football players and clubs boycotted social media for four days in April and May to protest racist abuses and push for more action from the companies that run the platforms.
Data from other sports, including Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton and the International Tennis Federation, also joined the boycott.
