Patrick van Aanholt is the latest in a growing number of footballers to have received racist and abusive messages in recent weeks; the Crystal Palace defender posted a caption on social media entitled "Why we kneel" in response; the offending Instagram account has now been removed
Thursday 4 March 2021 12:11, UK
Patrick van Aanholt was subjected to racist abuse on social media following Crystal Palace's goalless draw with Manchester United on Wednesday and the offending account has now been removed by Instagram.
The Crystal Palace defender, 30, shared a post captioned "Why we kneel" after racist messages were sent to him online.
Sky Sports News has also learned that steps have been taken to stop the offending account from being reactivated as the user broke Instagram's rules.
Instagram previously reiterated that they are prepared to enforce tougher penalties on those who contravene their community standards by posting abusive messages.
Van Aanholt is the latest in a growing list of professional footballers to have suffered racist abuse in recent weeks.
In February, Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger and Reece James, Manchester United Women's Lauren James and Manchester United's Axel Tuanzebe were among those to have been targeted on social media platforms.
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