England and Manchester City player Kyle Walker has revealed he suffered “vile, racist and threatening” abuse on social media after Wednesday’s game against Juventus.
The 34-year-old defender was part of the team that lost 2-0 in Turin, Italy, in the Champions League.
It comes amid a difficult spell for Man City that has seen them uncharacteristically lose seven of their last 10 matches in all competitions.
Warning: This article contains references to offensive language
Walker applauds fans after City’s loss to Juventus. Pic: Reuters/Guglielmo Mangiapane
The footballer posted a screenshot of a message he received on Instagram from an unnamed user which included a racial slur.
It read: “Bro you can f*** around and die you stupid ass *****”.
In his post, Walker said: “No one should ever be subjected to the sort of vile, racist and threatening abuse I have received online since last night’s match.
“Instagram and the authorities need to stop this happening for the sake of all who are suffering this abuse.
“It is never acceptable.”
He also shared a second instance of racial abuse he had received online.
In a club statement, Man City strongly condemned the abuse and said: “We refuse to tolerate discrimination of any kind, regardless of whether that be in stadiums or online.
“We will be offering Kyle our full support following the disgusting treatment he has received.”
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Kick It Out, an organisation that works to combat discrimination in football, said Walker had been the subject of “disgraceful abuse” which “again highlights the deep-rooted issue of online hate”.
Sky Sports News reported Kick It Out added in a statement: “With reports of online discrimination to Kick It Out more than doubling last season and platforms failing to act decisively, we stand firmly behind Kyle’s call for social media companies and authorities to do more.”
Meta, the owner of Instagram, has been approached for comment.
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