Man Utd react day after Pogba was racially abused at Premier League

Manchester United have condemned the racial abuse aimed at Paul Pogba on social media after the club’s draw with Wolves.

Pogba was targeted after failing to score a penalty in the 1-1 draw at Molineux on Monday.

United say they will take the “strongest course of action” against any person found guilty of racial abuse and discrimination.

“Everyone at Manchester United is disgusted by the racial abuse aimed at Paul Pogba last night and we utterly condemn it,” United said in a club statement.

“The individuals who expressed these views do not represent the values of our great club and it is encouraging to see the vast majority of our fans condemn this on social media also.

“Manchester United has zero tolerance of any form of racism or discrimination and a long-standing commitment to campaigning against it through our #AllRedAllEqual initiative.

“We will work to identify the few involved in these incidents and take the strongest course of action available to us. We also encourage social media companies to take action in these cases.”

Pogba is the latest player in English football to suffer racial abuse on social media after a match.

Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham vowed to “silence the haters” after being targeted online after missing a penalty against Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup final.

Reading midfielder Yakou Meite was also subjected to racial abuseafter a 3-0 win over Cardiff in the Championship.

Twitter agreed to discuss racial abuse with Kick It Out earlier this month, after the football anti-discrimination group issued a “call to action” to social media platforms, asking what was being done to “tackle this insidious problem”.

“We’ve had a bit of good news, which is that Twitter want to sit down and talk,” Kick It Out’s Troy Townsend told Sky Sports News.

A report released by Kick It Out in July said reports of racism in English football rose by 43 per cent – from 192 to 274 – last season.

Factoring in all forms of discrimination, reports of abuse in professional and grassroots football increased by 32 per cent to 422, compared to 319 during the 2017/18 campaign.

A further 159 reports were received via social media.

Last month, Chelsea banned one individual from Stamford Bridge for the use of racially abusive language and threatening and aggressive behaviour during match against Manchester City on December 8, 2018.

The Premier League club also temporarily banned five other supporters for periods of between one and two years for the use of abusive language and threatening and aggressive behaviour at the same fixture.


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