The Duke of Cambridge, President of the Football Association, has sent out a series of tweets condemning racism in the sport following an avalanche of abuse towards black players on social media.
Posting from the Kensington Palace Twitter account, Prince William wrote: “Racist abuse – whether on the pitch, in the stands, or on social media – is despicable and it must stop now.
“We all have a responsibility to create an environment where such abuse is not tolerated, and those who choose to spread hate and division are held accountable for their actions. That responsibility extends to the platforms where so much of this activity now takes place.
“I commend all those players, supporters, clubs and organisations who continue to call out and condemn this abuse in the strongest terms. – W”
Prince William has been President of the FA, the governing body of English football, since May 2006.
In that time, he has constantly spoken out against racism and has backed high profile anti-discrimination campaigns such as Kick It Out.
The Duke’s tweets come as police confirm they are launching an investigation into the racial abuse a number of black football players received during the last week.
Manchester United and England striker Marcus Rashford took to social media over the weekend where he described the racist abuse he received this week as “humanity and social media at its worst”.
Rashford said: “Yes I’m a black man and I live every day proud that I am. No one, or no one comment, is going to make me feel any different. So sorry if you were looking for a strong reaction, you’re just simply not going to get it here.”
