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Manchester United ban fans over social media abuse of Son Heung-min

Manchester United have issued bans against six supporters, subject to appeal, for abusing Tottenh...



Manchester United ban fans ove...
Soccer

Manchester United ban fans over social media abuse of Son Heung-min

Manchester United have issued bans against six supporters, subject to appeal, for abusing Tottenham's Son Heung-min online.

The alleged abuse occurred following the Premier League game between the clubs on April 11th.

Three season ticket holders, two official members, and one individual on the season ticket waiting list have been sanctioned.

The news follows details of statistics published by the club which reveal a 350 percent increase in abuse directed towards the club's players online since September 2019.

Of that abuse, 86 percent of the posts were racist, while 8 percent were homophobic or transphobic.

The vast majority of racist posts contained either the N-word or emojis used with racist intent.

United will join English football's boycott of social media from Friday at 3pm until 11.59pm on Monday.

Group Managing Director of Manchester United, Richard Arnold said:

“We have been actively campaigning against discrimination for some time through our All Red All Equal initiative. The level of support we have received for this work from our fans has been hugely encouraging but these figures show that despite that, the level of abuse our players and fans receive is on the up.

“It must be said that while these numbers are shocking, they do only represent 0.01% of conversations that take place on social media about the club and the players.

"By taking part in this boycott this weekend, we, alongside the rest of English football, want to shine a light on the issue. It will generate debate and discussion and will raise awareness of the levels of abuse our players and our fans receive.”

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