Leading Premier League players will undertake a 24-hour social media boycott on Friday in protest at recent high-profile incidents of racist abuse.
The boycott, organised by the Professional Footballers’ Association under the #Enough hashtag, aims to bring players together to demand more action from social media networks and authorities.
The PFA is encouraging professional players in the men’s and women’s game to post an Enough graphic on their social media accounts before beginning the boycott at 9am on Friday.
The PFA said: “Over the last few months, both domestically and internationally, there have been a number of high-profile racist incidents directed at players. The boycott acts as a show of unity by the players, and a call for stronger action to be taken by social networks and footballing authorities in response to racist abuse both on and off the pitch.
“Players recognise that these racist incidents are a reflection of societal issues. They know first-hand how damaging racism can be and are using their platforms to inspire change that will benefit players, football and society as a whole. The boycott is the first step in a longer campaign to tackle racism in football.”
The campaign comes in the wake of a series of incidents of online racism including abuse of the Manchester United defender Chris Smalling following his side’s Champions League quarter-final defeat in Barcelona this week.
Smalling said: “Throughout my career I have developed a thick skin against verbal abuse, justifying it as just ‘part of the game’, but the time has come for Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to consider regulating their channels.”
United’s Ashley Young and Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha are among other Premier League players to have been the victims of such abuse over recent weeks. Young, like Smalling, was targeted after the game at Barcelona.
Tottenham’s Danny Rose, who said recently he could not wait to see the back of football because of the racism he has suffered, said: “I don’t want any future players to go through what I’ve been through in my career. Collectively, we are simply not willing to stand by while too little is done by football authorities and social media companies to protect players from this disgusting abuse.”