Lay off Pogba: Maguire
MANCHESTER United defender Harry Maguire called on social media giants Twitter and Instagram to be more proactive to stop “pathetic trolls” after teammate Paul Pogba became the latest player to suffer racist abuse online.
Pogba was targeted after his penalty was saved in United’s 1-1 draw at Wolves on Monday just days after Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham suffered similar abuse.
“Disgusting. Social media need to do something about it,” Maguire, the world’s most expensive defender after a $97 million move from Leicester earlier this month, posted on Twitter. “Every account that is opened should be verified by a passport/driving licence. Stop these pathetic trolls making numerous accounts to abuse people. @Twitter @Instagram.”
United said they were “disgusted” by the abuse and “utterly condemn” it.
“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,” the club said in a statement.
“Manchester United has zero tolerance of any form of racism or discrimination and a longstanding 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.” Twitter’s terms and conditions say it “takes action against behaviour that targets individuals with hateful conduct”.