Southgate agrees with Henry’s social media exit
ENGLAND coach Gareth Southgate said players should consider joining former France international Thierry Henry in quitting social media to avoid being affected by negative comments and online abuse.
Henry, 43, deleted his social media accounts this week to protest against the platforms for not taking action against anonymous account holders who are guilty of racism and bullying online.
Southgate supported Henry's decision but said he would not stop his England players from using those platforms during the European Championship in June.
"I think it's something for all players, and all high-profile people who may receive that kind of negative attention, to think about," Southgate said.
"It's not just high-profiled people, there'll be young kids who are getting bullied online. It's something for everyone to think about: do you want to put yourself in that situation?
"If you spoke to every manager in the country, one of their biggest concerns would be that the players go in the dressing room and are scrolling through their phones and it's a vulnerable moment for people if they've just played a game.
"They're tired and fatigued. What voices are they listening to?"
Southgate said he quit social media in 2013 when he became the England Under-21 manager.
"When I'm in camp, I try to switch off from all the external media, which is not great for keeping up with what's going on in the world," he added. "But the world is a happier place if I'm not getting that negativity."
Last month English soccer's governing bodies said that Twitter, Facebook and Instagram were "havens for abuse" and urged the companies to tackle the problem in the wake of racist messages aimed at players.
Instagram has announced a series of measures to tackle online abuse, while Twitter, who took action on more than 700 cases of "abuse and hateful conduct" related to soccer in Britain in 2019, promised to continue its efforts to curb the problem.
Meanwhile Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane said he would not let speculation over his future at the London club distract him from his goal of captaining England to European Championship glory this year.
Kane, who broke into Spurs' starting line up in 2014, has scored 215 goals in all competitions, but he is yet to win a trophy with the north
London club.
The 27-year-old signed a six-year contract extension in 2018 that would keep him at Spurs until 2024, but British media have linked him with a host of top clubs, including Manchester United, Manchester City and Real Madrid.
He heads into the Euros in June bidding to become the first man to captain the nation to an international trophy for 55 years.
"It's important all my focus is on the two England games now and the rest of the season with Spurs and then the Euros," Kane, who top scored at the 2018 World Cup with six goals, told The Telegraph.
"To be thinking about speculation or rumours would be damaging in terms of my own performance.
"I like to be focused on one goal and that's to finish strong with Spurs ... and go on and have a great Euros. I'm fully focussed on doing the job on the pitch and then we'll see."
Spurs have dropped to sixth in the Premier League after leading the table in November and were also knocked out of the Europa League this month after losing 3-2 on aggregate to Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb in the round of 16.
Jose Mourinho's side can still salvage their season by winning next month's League Cup final against Manchester City, which would be their first major trophy since 2008.
"If we're looking at it and we've finished in the top four and won the Cup, I think everyone will say it's been a pretty good season," Kane said.