English football has come together to protest online abuse.
The social media blackout is billed to begin on Friday, April 30 at 15.00 GMT and will end at 23.59 GMT on Monday, May 3.
Several other organisations are joining England’s soccer leagues in a show of solidarity against online abuse. A coalition of football organisations including the English Football Association and Premier League said they would not post on their channels this weekend.
UEFA President, Aleksander Ceferin said action needed to be taken after a rise in online abuse and hate directed at footballers and those involved with the game.
“There have been abuses both on the pitch and on social media. This is unacceptable and needs to be stopped, with the help of the public and legislative authorities and the social media giants.
“Allowing a culture of hatred to grow with impunity is dangerous, very dangerous, not only for football, but for society as a whole. We’ve had enough of these cowards who hide behind their anonymity to spew out their noxious ideologies,” he said in a statement.
British Cycling CEO, Brian Facer said his organisation would switch off its social channels this weekend.
“Sport should be inclusive, diverse and welcoming, and athletes must be able to engage with the public without being on the receiving end of sustained, pervasive and abhorrent abuse,” he said in a statement.
The campaign has also been backed by Premiership Rugby, English cricket and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), as well as broadcasters BT Sport, Sky Sports and talkSPORT.
Not quite long, Championship clubs, Swansea and Birmingham, as well as Scottish champions Rangers, carried out a boycott of social media channels in protest against the abuse their staff and players are regularly exposed to. Former Arsenal striker, Thierry Henry had also quit social media in response to social media abuse.
In a swift reaction, Twitter released a statement that reads: “Racist behaviour, abuse and harassment have absolutely no place on our service and alongside our partners in football, we condemn racism in all forms.”
It said: “We are resolute in our commitment to ensure the football conversation on our service is safe for fans players and everyone involved in the game.
“Racism is a deep societal and complex issue and everyone has a role to play. We are committed to doing our part and continue to work closely with valued partners in football, government and police, along with the working group conveyed by Kick It Out to identify ways to tackle this issue collectively, both online and away from social media.”