Gerrard and Co boycott social media
RANGERS last night announced a boycott of all social media channels by the club’s players and management in a bid to fight back against racism. The move came 24 hours after Ibrox midfielder Glen Kamara broke his silence over the alleged racist abuse he faced from Slavia Prague’s Ondrej Kudela. Kamara told ITV News he had received online racist abuse ‘every day’ since the incident during a Europa League tie last month. In the wake of the match at Ibrox on March 18, Rangers striker Kemar Roofe was also the target of racist abuse on Instagram. The Scottish champions are the third UK club now to launch a temporary boycott of social media, alongside Swansea City and Birmingham City. Swansea launched their
action after Jamal Lowe became the third Swans player in less than two months to be racially abused on Instagram.
A meeting is due to take place early next week involving the English game’s major authorities, including the Premier League, EFL and other main bodies, to discuss the prospect of a collective approach across the divisions.
The idea of all teams from the top flight, Championship plus Leagues One and Two holding a one-day boycott is understood to have been tentatively mooted.
And with Rangers concerned that ‘the levels of hate are spiralling out of control’ with daily racist abuse of players, representatives from Ibrox will meet with social media companies next week to ask them to take steps to make users accountable for their online posts.
Stewart Robertson, Rangers managing director, said: ‘We as a board and as a club, we are fully behind our players and management on this issue.
‘Furthermore, we have arranged to meet Facebook and Instagram to underline our growing concerns.
‘Having spoken to a wide range of clubs around the United Kingdom, we know these concerns are shared by all clubs and it is fair to say everyone is losing patience with the lack of action from social media companies.
‘Rangers’ hope is that clear and direct action is taken from social media platforms. The basic verification of users, as part of the sign-up process, to any social media platform, will ensure that users are both identifiable and accountable for their actions and words.
‘We will raise this next week in our scheduled meetings.
‘Rangers has driven its flagship Everyone Anyone campaign forward rigorously, drawing praise and support from fellow clubs, governing bodies and politicians, and we will continue to stand firmly against all forms of discrimination. Enough is enough.’
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry was the first high-profile footballer to come off social media when he quit and Sportsmail has been campaigning for an end to online hate, with former basketballer Kieron Achara and boxer Lee McGregor appearing in these pages to describe their experiences with trolls.
Alfredo Morelos, meanwhile, has revealed how much he has been affected by racist abuse in Scotland after sending a message of support to his Colombia teammate Davinson Sanchez.
The Rangers striker contacted the Tottenham defender after he was subjected to racial slurs on social media following a recent 2-2 draw at Newcastle.
Morelos has faced his own share of online bile — and also made reference to an incident two years ago when Aberdeen fans unfurled a banner at Pittodrie insulting his mother.
In an interview with Colombian outlet Win Sports, the 24-year-old reflected on his own situation and said he had reached out to Sanchez.
‘They involved my mother, they made me banners in the stands, they did everything to me,’ said Morelos. ‘Racism is something very ugly. I sent a message to Davinson.’
Despite those incidents, Morelos insisted he remains happy at Rangers in this title-winning season. He confirmed that he had long since resolved any ‘difficulties’ with manager Steven Gerrard, which appears to be a reference to being dropped earlier in the campaign amid transfer uncertainty.
‘I feel very happy here,’ he said. ‘We have a target — the Scottish Cup — and the team have done very well in both the league and in Europe. Now I want to keep scoring goals and getting assists.
‘Steven Gerrard is a legend and a great person. I have had difficulties with him, but we have fixed it. He showed confidence in me and I have responded. We have a nice relationship.
‘When we won the league, everything was crazy. People lived it to the fullest because it had been ten years without winning the league.
‘I am happy at Rangers and I want to win the (Scottish) Cup with them. If opportunities come up for me, we will analyse them.’