Kazim-Richards the latest in a growing list of professional footballers to have been targeted online this season; Derby: "This is not acceptable. It can't keep happening"; Birmingham and Swansea are boycotting social media for a week in protest over rising levels of social media abuse
Saturday 10 April 2021 22:50, UK
Colin Kazim-Richards and other members of Derby's team have been sent racist abuse on social media following the club's 1-0 defeat to Norwich.
A user on Instagram posted Kazim-Richards' name followed by a racist emoji on one of Derby's posts on their official club account.
Derby have condemned the discrimination, tweeting: "One of our social media feeds was today subject to posts containing abhorrent racist abuse relating to members of our team, including Colin Kazim-Richards.
"This is not acceptable. It can't keep happening. We proudly stand together as one. Always."
Sky Sports News has contacted Facebook, which owns Instagram, for comment on the abuse suffered by Kazim-Richards.
It is the second time Kazim-Richards has been targeted this campaign. The forward was also sent racist abuse after scoring the equaliser against Nottingham Forest in a 1-1 draw at Pride Park in February.
The latest incident follows a number of players across the men's and women's professional game who have been subjected to racist abuse this season.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Naby Keita were sent racist abuse after Liverpool's Champions League quarter-final first-leg loss to Real Madrid, while Rinsola Babajide of the club's women's side also suffered racist and sexist abuse on Instagram earlier this week.
On Friday, Reading's Liam Moore deactivated his Twitter account after the defender was the subject of a Twitter poll that described him using a derogatory term.
Championship clubs Birmingham City and Swansea City are boycotting social media for one week after a series of "abhorrent" instances of abuse. Swansea's Jamal Lowe, Yan Dhanda, and Ben Cabango were all recently targeted.
Rangers became the first Scottish club to step away from their online platforms for a period of seven days, following comments from captain James Tavernier who revealed all of Gers' Black players have been racially abused on social media this season.
Their midfielder Glen Kamara has also said he is receiving racist abuse "every day", following his clash with Slavia Prague's Ondrej Kudela in the two sides' Europa League game at Ibrox in March.
CAA Base, the football agency that represents Dele Alli, Heung-Min Son, Kyle Walker, have also begun a social media boycott in protest against online hate.
Thierry Henry released a statement last month in which the former Arsenal striker indicated he was moving away from social media until technology companies treat online abuse in the same manner that they handle copyright infringements on their platforms, adding that he will only return "when it is safe" to do so.
Meanwhile, the UK government is set to bring an Online Harms Bill in front of parliament this year, which aims to hold technology companies to greater levels of accountability concerning the regulation of abuse.
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