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Footballers to boycott social media to take a stand against racism

  /  autty

The campaign has been organised in response to a number of high-profile incidents in recent months

Professional footballers in England and Wales will boycott social media on Friday, April 19 to take a stand against racism.

The #Enough campaign, organised by the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), will encourage players not to use any form of social media from 09.00am on April 19 to 09.00am on April 20.

Players will also be encouraged to post #Enough graphic on their social media platforms before Friday's boycott.

The PFA says the campaign is a response to a number of high-profile racist incidents directed at players in recent months and is the "first step in a longer campaign to tackle racism in football".

"The boycott acts as a show of unity by the players, and a call for stronger action to be taken by social networks and footballing authorities in response to racist abuse both on and off the pitch," read a statement.

Only this week, Manchester United captain Ashley Young was subject to racist abuse on social media following his side's Champions League quarter-final defeat against Barcelona.

Black England players, including Tottenham defender Danny Rose, were also subjected to racist chanting during a Euro 2020 qualifier in Montenegro last month. Rose later admitted he “can’t wait” to quit football because of the way racism is handled within the game.

Speaking about the #Enough campaign, the 28-year-old said: “When I said that I can’t wait to see the back of football, it is because of the racism that I, and many other players, have been subjected to our entire careers.

“Football has a problem with racism.

“I don’t want any future players to go through what I’ve been through in my career. Collectively, we are simply not willing to stand-by while too little is done by football authorities and social media companies to protect players from this disgusting abuse.”

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