Players boycotting social media over racism receive abuse

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Footballers in England boycotting social media in a protest against racism were targeted with abuse about the 24-hour campaign.

The Professional Footballers Association coordinated the “Enough” campaign and says it is now requesting talks with social media companies as a “matter of priority.”

The players’ union says when racist abuse was reported on Friday the “response from social networks was — again — unacceptable.”

There was silence on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram from many players from 0800 GMT Friday for 24 hours. The platforms didn’t appear to respond on their networks to the players.

In a statement, the PFA says “in the coming days, we will be inviting players to report any racist abuse they have received to us. We will collate it and share it with social platforms to demonstrate the impact of their lack of action.”