Manchester United condemn racial abuse aimed at Ashley Young on social media after defeat by Barcelona
- Manchester United condemn racist abuse that was aimed at Ashley Young
- Vile social media comments referred to Young as an ‘ape’ and used the n-word
- United are trying to establish if those who abused Young are genuine fans
Manchester United have strongly condemned the racist abuse aimed at their captain Ashley Young following the Champions League defeat to Barcelona.
Vile comments on social media referring to Young as an ‘ape’ and using the ‘n’-word were highlighted by the Kick It Out campaign after United lost 3-0 at the Nou Camp.
The abuse directed at the 33-year-old fullback, who was partly at fault for Lionel Messi’s first goal, follows recent incidents of racism involving Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling and Liverpool striker Mo Salah.
Manchester United have condemned the racist abuse aimed at Ashley Young on social media
United have reported the matter to the police and Twitter, and will try to identify the individuals responsible. Some of the tweets have since been taken down and the accounts deleted.
The club are still trying to establish if the abusers are genuine United fans having confirmed that they are not season ticket holders or in the supporters’ database at Old Trafford.
A statement read: ‘Manchester United utterly condemns racist social media comments posted around yesterday’s Champions League fixture. We are working to identify individuals involved and we will take the strongest possible action we can against them.
The club are trying to establish if those who abused Young are genuine United fans
‘There is no place for racism within our game, or in society as a whole, and we are committed to working to make football free from all forms of discrimination.’
While United are doing their utmost to address the issue, having underlined their commitment to combat discriminatory behaviour with the launch of the #allredallequal campaign last week, there is a sense of exasperation over what can be done to tackle a problem that festers in wider society and on social media.
Indeed, concerns at United over what Twitter is doing to stamp it out were echoed by the Kick It Out campaign.
‘Yet another black player, this time Ashley Young, targeted with racist abuse on social media after tonight’s Champions League game,’ the football equality charity said in a statement.
‘Again, we’re left asking Twitter the same question: when will you take serious action to tackle the rampant discrimination on your platform?’
