Skip to content

Ryan Sessegnon: Tottenham player reveals he received racist abuse online

Sessegnon is currently on loan at Hoffenheim and received the racist messages on Instagram; "The craziest thing is I'm not even surprised anymore. Disgusting," says England Under-21 international

Sessegnon in action for England U21 against Turkey U21 at Molineux last month
Image: Ryan Sessegnon has become the latest footballer to be subjected to racist abuse online

Ryan Sessegnon has become the latest footballer to reveal he has received racist abuse on social media.

Sessegnon received the abusive messages on Monday night, shortly before the offending profile was removed from Instagram.

The 20-year-old was left disgusted by the abuse but said he is not surprised that it continues to take place.

He wrote on Instagram: "Honestly unbelievable. The craziest thing is I'm not even surprised anymore. Disgusting."

Sessegnon has so far featured four times on loan at Bundesliga side Hoffenheim, after sealing a season-long loan switch from Tottenham last month.

His parent club have since offered their support on Twitter.

"Everyone at the Club is with you Ryan Sessegnon," Tottenham's official Twitter account said.

Also See:

"We are proud of the rich ethnic diversity that exists across our communities, fans, staff and players.

"We are driven by inclusion and equality for all and nobody should have to endure such repulsive abuse."

The England Under-21 international moved to Tottenham from Fulham for £25m in the summer of 2019, but was allowed to seal a temporary move away from the club following Sergio Reguilon's arrival.

He has now joined the likes of fellow footballers Raheem Sterling, Wilfried Zaha and Troy Deeney who have also spoken out about the racist and threatening abuse they have received on social media.

Last month, Watford's Deeney openly questioned whether social media companies have the desire to eradicate abuse and argued they may even benefit from a drive in traffic when incidences of racism occur.

Wilfried Zaha called for greater action and education after he received racist messages in July
Image: Wilfried Zaha called for greater action and education after he received racist messages in July

In July, Crystal Palace's Zaha called for 'action and education' and after he too was subjected to racist messages before a match against Aston Villa.

Reporting hate crime

Sky Sports has launched its own Hate Won't Stop Us campaign to highlight the scale of online hate and abuse, and the damage that it can inflict upon people.

It stands alongside a commitment to do more to tackle racism and to champion diversity in sport, as an employer, broadcaster and publisher.

If you see a reply to Sky Sports posts and/or content with an expression of hate, please copy the URL of the hateful post or screengrab it and email it to: againstonlinehate@skysports.com

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

This is the message from Sky Sports presenters and reporters, who have united in supporting a new campaign aimed at raising awareness of online hate and abuse on social media

Around Sky