Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to see social media companies clamp down on anonymous accounts following racist abuse of Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial in midweek; both players were abused after 2-1 home defeat to Sheffield United
Friday 29 January 2021 18:48, UK
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has called for social media platforms to take action against anonymous accounts in the wake of the racist abuse posted to Manchester United players Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial earlier this week.
United forward Martial played the entirety of the defeat to Sheffield United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night, while centre-back Tuanzebe was substituted in the 83rd minute of the 2-1 defeat after starting his first Premier League game of the season.
Following the game, abuse was aimed at the players' Instagram accounts. A number of users posted racist comments and symbols on old photos and Tuanzebe was also targeted on Twitter.
On Thursday morning, Manchester United said they were "disgusted" by the abuse and hoped the "anonymous mindless idiots" are identified, while players including captain Harry Maguire and forward Marcus Rashford tweeted their support for their team-mates.
Solksjaer says he feels Premier League-led initiatives to combat racist abuse are having an impact, but that social media companies need to do more to prevent anonymous accounts being set up with the purpose of sending such messages.
"It's just incredible that abuse like this still happens in 2021," said Solskjaer. "We've been campaigning for a long time now in the Premier League and I think it's working, but there are still some people that haven't got it.
"They hide behind anonymous social media accounts and it's unacceptable. It's disgusting. They are not Manchester United fans in my mind, when this happens. We stand behind every single one of our players.
"Axel is fine, we've spoken to him and it's not nice but he's a strong boy, a strong character and he's got good support from his family and his family at the club.
"It's something you don't expect to see but it doesn't surprise you when it does happen from time to time. You have to feel sorry for these individuals.
"The social media platforms need to be looked at. If you can create an anonymous account and abuse people, that's not right. We'll work together with everyone to stop this nonsense."
In a statement released on Friday, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters condemned the racist abuse sent to Tuanzebe and Martial as well as West Bromwich Albion's Romaine Sawyers.
"I am appalled to see the racial abuse received by players this week," Masters said. "Racist behaviour of any form is unacceptable and nobody should have to deal with it. Tackling online hate is a priority for football, and I believe social media companies need to do more.
"We at the Premier League will continue to support players, managers and their families who receive discriminatory online abuse. Through our central reporting system we have been able to take immediate action on cases like this and we investigate every report received, with legal action taken where possible.
"We are in regular dialogue with social media companies, challenging them to do more against discriminatory abuse on their platforms. We want to see swifter removal of offensive messages and improved identification and banning of offenders."
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