Women’s Football Says NO to Racism!

In a recent surge of online hatred with a disgusting race fuelled undertone, some of England’s top Manchester United stars are refusing to stay silent.

Lauren James, 19, is the latest professional player amongst Manchester United that has been the victim of random online hate attacks. Axel Tuanzebe and Marcus Rashford have received a similar treatment, sparking outrage from the FA towards social media companies and their ability to filter damaging content.

James took to Instagram, in a post she said, “I couldn’t stay quiet any longer“.

“To be able to stand up and say, ‘I’m not accepting this, I’m going to call it out’, is brave,” United manager Casey Stoney told the BBC.

James said in her social post: “Unfortunately, it’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last, but we don’t have to accept it.

“We have to continue to shout and make a noise until actual actions take place.”

The good news is, James has been supported by the FA and all the other victims of hate crimes, wanting the government to put laws in place that give actual consequences to these disturbing actions.

Manchester United Ladies manager Casey Stoney has been vocal, supportive, and publicly disgraced at the abuse: “She shouldn’t have to go through it,” Stoney said. “I just genuinely cannot understand how we can abuse a 19-year-old because of the colour of their skin. It’s a sad time.

“Until the government, until Instagram, until Twitter, until these people in high-profile positions do something about it, it’s not going to change. It’s over to them.

“I’m proud of her for standing up, speaking out and reaching out.”

Facebook (owners of Instagram), and Twitter say they are committed to eradicating their platforms’ abuse. Still, the lack of action taken towards discriminative abuse leaves the abusers in a position of power. The UK government have responded with threats involving fines in the access of billions if social media companies continue to ignore the matter.

“It’s hard for me to comprehend, sitting here as a white person, in terms of being able to understand what she lives through every single day and what she has experienced growing up. It’s disgusting. It’s utterly disgusting,” Stoney shared with the BBC Manchester.

“I think the government and the powers-that-be need to do so much more to govern thee social media platforms.

“When a player comes to me and says, ‘it’s kind of water off a duck’s back’, that is gut-wrenching for me that she has to face that and it’s quite normal. I cannot get my head around it. It does upset me quite a lot.”

Lauren James is the perfect role model for our children, and her vocal opinions echo the FA hallways & offices.

As a critical squad member for Manchester United, you can support Lauren James by following her professional career for the Red Devils, currently fighting for the Super League trophy. James’s team has caught the attention of bookmakers. It’s always interesting to check out an odds calculator before a match to see what odds are.

Football Authorities Fight Back

The governing bodies of English football have joined forces to tackle the online abuse of professional players. A joint letter has been sent to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the founder of Twitter Jack Dorsey.

“The reality is your platforms remain havens for abuse,” the letter states.

“Your inaction has created the belief in the minds of the anonymous perpetrators that they are beyond reach. The relentless flow of racist and discriminatory messages feeds on itself: the more it is tolerated by Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, platforms with billions of users, the more it becomes routine, accepted behaviour.

“Targets of abuse should be offered basic protections, and we ask that you accept responsibility for preventing abuse from appearing on your platforms and go further than you have promised to do to date.”

The letter holds significant importance due to the signatures that have supported the change. The Premier League, English Football League, women’s professional game, Professional Footballers’ Association, League Managers’ Association, Professional Game Match Officials’ Board, and anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out.

It is now time to fight back with multiple players receiving abuse within a few days, and it is evident there is a problem. Accounts of racist abuse towards professionals can be documented weekly, and until those accountable for their platforms take a stand, the issue evolves.

Feature photo via Getty Images