Morgan Whittaker is the fourth Swansea player to have been racially abused online since February with Yan Dhanda, Ben Cabango and Jamal Lowe also having been targeted; Swansea say they are "saddened, angry and appalled by vile racist abuse"
Tuesday 4 May 2021 12:12, UK
Police are investigating after Swansea striker Morgan Whittaker suffered "vile racist abuse" following Saturday's game against Derby.
The 20-year-old was targeted after scoring against his former club and is the fourth Swans player to be racially abused on social media since February.
The abuse came on the weekend when football clubs and other sporting bodies were boycotting social media because of a lack of action in combatting the issue.
Whittaker said on Tuesday: "I am disappointed, but not surprised. I will always be proud of my skin colour, no matter what.
"Social media has to do something to stop this kind of abuse from happening."
Whittaker's team-mates Yan Dhanda, Ben Cabango and Jamal Lowe have all suffered recent racial abuse online.
A club statement read: "Swansea City is saddened, angry and appalled by vile racist abuse received by Morgan Whittaker via social media following Saturday's game against Derby County," read a statement from the Championship club.
"The abuse in question has been reported to South Wales Police and the club is assisting them in their investigation.
"The fact that this has happened across a period where clubs, players and stakeholders have come together for a boycott of social media for this very reason, again shows just how much work still needs to be done.
"Morgan is sadly the fourth Swansea City player to suffer such abhorrent and disgraceful abuse online since February - a damning indictment on the world we live in.
"As a club we will continue to strive for change, urging social media companies to take strong action and implement real change on their platforms that will enable its users to open their accounts and not have to worry about what they might find.
"Chief executive Julian Winter recently wrote to both Twitter and Facebook, the latter replying with examples of how they try to combat online abuse. But with vile incidents appearing on a daily basis, stronger action is clearly required.
"Morgan has the full and unwavering support of everyone at Swansea City, and our message remains clear. Enough is enough."
A statement from South Wales Police read: "South Wales Police is investigating the origin of racially motivated social media posts aimed at a Swansea City footballer following the club's match against Derby County this weekend.
"South Wales Police has designated football liaison officers who work with clubs throughout the force area to help prevent and deter crime and anti-social behaviour.
"Tackling hate crime has always been a priority for South Wales Police - this behaviour is something that will not be tolerated in our community.
"The force takes hate crime seriously and works closely with those involved in football to raise awareness of hate crime amongst players and supporters."
In response to the abuse of Whittaker, a Facebook spokesperson told Sky Sports News: "No one should have to experience abuse anywhere, and it's against our policies to harass or discriminate against people on Instagram or Facebook.
"We agree with and have already made progress on many of the players' suggestions, including taking tougher action against people breaking our rules in DMs.
"We also recently announced that, starting next week, we'll provide new tools, based on consultation with footballers and anti-discrimination experts, to help prevent people seeing abusive messages from strangers.
"We continue to work with UK police on hate speech, and respond to valid legal requests for information, which can be essential for investigations. We'll continue listening to feedback and fighting hate and racism on our platform."
Sky Sports News has also contacted Twitter for comment.
Swansea took a stand against online abuse and discrimination on April 8 by not posting any social media content for seven days.
The Welsh club called for social media platforms to introduce tougher policing and punishments for those found guilty of sending online abuse.
Birmingham and Rangers quickly supported Swansea's stance of a seven-day social media boycott, and on Friday much of the sporting world followed suit.
Sky Sports has joined the wider sporting community in a four-day boycott of social media in an attempt to tackle online abuse and discrimination.
The FA, Premier League, EFL, FA Women's Super League, FA Women's Championship, PFA, LMA, PGMOL, Kick It Out and the FSA are uniting for the boycott.
The Scottish FA, Scottish Professional Football League, Scottish Women's Football and PFA Scotland have also confirmed the participation of clubs and football organisations in Scotland.
UEFA also gave its backing on Thursday, urging players, clubs and national associations "to lodge formal complaints whenever players, coaches, referees or officials are victims of unacceptable tweets or messages".
FIFA also said it supports the English football-led social media boycott in response to discriminatory and offensive abuse on social media.
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