UK Football Association Suspends Social Media Use to Protest Against Racism

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] Several British football organizations, including the England professional football Premier League (EPL), announced that they will suspend the use of social media in opposition to racial discrimination.

The Premier League office and others stated on their website on the 24th (local time), "As discriminatory acts against players and football officials continue online, we will suspend the use of social media from 3 PM on the 30th of this month until 11:59 PM on the 3rd of next month."

The boycott includes more than 10 organizations such as the Football Association (FA), the English Football League (EFL), the England Women's Super League (WSL), the FA Women's Championship, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), the League Managers Association (LMA), and the anti-discrimination group 'Kick it Out.'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

They plan not to use Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts for four days. This boycott movement reportedly began amid frequent incidents of players facing racial discrimination and insults online, coupled with criticism that social media companies' responses have been inadequate.

Recently, football player Son Heung-min also became a victim. On the 12th, during the 2020-2021 EPL Round 31 match against Manchester United, he received racially discriminatory malicious comments for allegedly exaggerating a foul by Scott McTominay.

Son Heung-min's Instagram posts were flooded with shocking remarks such as "Go sell DVDs," and "Stop diving and go eat cats, bats, or dogs."

The EPL and others explained, "Social media companies need to do more to eradicate hate online. The boycott is a show of unity within English football to emphasize this."