Swansea’s Dhanda racially abused on social media after cup defeat
Swansea midfielder Yan Dhanda has been the subject of racist abuse on social media, the club said on Wednesday evening.
The abuse followed Swansea’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The Championship club say they are “appalled and saddened” by the abuse their 22-year-old midfielder has received.
Dhanda reacted on Twitter by saying: “How can this STILL be happening in 2021? I’m so proud of who I am and representing Asians. More has to be done!”
It is the latest in a long list of recent incidents of footballers receiving abuse on social media.
Manchester United’s Axel Tuanzebe, Manchester United Women’s Lauren James and Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger and Reece James are part of a growing list of footballers who have been racially abused on social media in recent weeks.
Swansea’s statement read: “Swansea City is appalled and saddened by racist abuse received by Yan Dhanda via social media following tonight’s Emirates FA Cup game against Manchester City.
“As a club, we pride ourselves on working with the community and our supporters, as well as the EFL and the FA, on all anti-racism and anti-discriminatory campaigns because it has no place in society.
“Swansea City condemns racism and abuse of all kinds, and we urge social media companies to go above and beyond to stamp out this abhorrent level of behaviour that continues to tarnish football and society.
“An official report has been made with South Wales Police and the club will assist them in their investigation.
“Yan has our unwavering support in this matter as we and the relevant authorities strive to eradicate this mindless behaviour.”
Swansea’s opponents Manchester City also condemned the abuse and said they will be supporting Swansea and the police with their investigation.
The club said: “Racism has no place in sport, or society. Manchester City FC are appalled to hear of the alleged racist abuse of a Swansea player.
“We will be supporting Swansea City and South Wales Police in their investigation of this matter, and to establish whether there was a Manchester City fan involved.”
It comes on a day where Facebook-owned Instagram announced new measures, including the removal of accounts to prevent abusive messages on its platform, and developing new controls to help reduce the abuse people see.
The Official FA Cup Twitter account reaffirmed a statement made by English football’s governing body from Sunday.
The statement read: “It has been yet another weekend where players are facing discriminatory abuse and having to deal with anonymous keyboard warriors who hide in a world of impunity. At The FA, we believe that enough is enough.
“We will continue to do everything we can to stamp discrimination out of the game, but we implore government to act quickly and bring in the appropriate legislation so this abuse has real-life consequences.
”Social media companies need to step up and take accountability and action to ban abusers from their platforms, gather evidence that can lead to prosecution and support making their platforms free from this type of abhorrent abuse.
“We stand with Lauren James, Axel Tuanzebe and every victim of discrimination in all its forms. It’s time for change.”
Facebook: Racism in football bigger than social media
7:07 Racism in football is a bigger problem than abusive messages seen on social media, says Facebook Content Policy Manager Fadzai Madzingira, after Instagram announced new measures to tackle online hate on its platform.
High-profile players in both the men’s and women’s game have been victims of racist abuse on social media in recent weeks, while Premier League referee Mike Dean was subjected to death threats following a controversial decision over the weekend.
Facebook-owned Instagram announced new measures, including the removal of accounts to prevent abusive messages on its platform and developing new controls to help reduce the abuse people see.
“The changes we have announced today are part of a larger strategy of our commitment to more accountability and commitment to stopping this hate. They go with previous features which we have rolled out. It’s all a small part in stopping this abuse,” Madzingira told Sky Sports News.
“But racism in football is bigger than what happens on social media platforms. There are conversations that need to happen offline as well if we are all going to take responsibility for stopping this hate.”
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