Only three Premier League clubs accept police invitation to tackle online racism, senior officer reveals | Football news

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Only three Premier League clubs have said they are ready to work directly with the police to help their players deal with racist abuse online.

Football clubs at all levels have taken a strong stand to tackle online hatred against players, which has increased since the Euro 2020 final.

However, after writing to 92 clubs in the league in July, Chief Constable Mark Roberts, head of football for the National Council of Chiefs of Police, was disappointed with the commitment of many clubs.

“Only 49 came back with a positive response saying they wanted to get involved …

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Police Chief Mark Roberts has called on the Premier League to take more action in the fight against online abuse. The Premier League has dedicated the next two matches to the No Room For Racism campaign.

None of these visits have yet taken place to Premier League clubs – but three of the top 20 teams have said they will engage with the police.

Mr Roberts told Sky News he doesn’t want to name and shame individual clubs, but collectively expects them to improve their game and facilitate officer visits as soon as possible.

“We hear all the slogans, we hear all the commitments,” said Mr. Roberts. “But when we try to take positive steps to support the players, support the clubs, sometimes we need a little more than words.

“If people know in advance the options and the support available to them, then they are more likely to know what to do and take positive action.”

In his letter sent over the summer, Mr Roberts stressed to clubs that players need better support if they are to take action when they receive abuse online.

Image: Bukayo Saka suffered racist abuse after missing a penalty kick at Euro 2020

He also acknowledged that social media companies have dramatically improved the way they respond to reports of racist messages.

Last year, investigators typically waited six months for evidence from the tech giants after a report was made – now it’s just a matter of days.

Mr Roberts said UK police are fully committed to finding and bringing offenders to court.

Last week, a Chelsea season ticket holder pleaded guilty to posting racist, anti-Semitic and hateful tweets about football players and fans.

Mr Roberts said: “We want to do it, but I think it’s one of those examples where everyone says he’s engaged, says he wants to tackle it, but then we give opportunities [and] it does not happen.

“It’s a really disappointing participation, and I think, frankly, the numbers speak for themselves.”

In response, the Premier League told Sky News it always encourages clubs to work with the police.

A spokesperson said: “The Premier League is taking action against online abuse – since 2019, we have been proactively monitoring social media platforms to report any abuse targeting Premier League players, and have reported thousands of ‘incidents at social media companies since.

“We also support players, managers and their families through our online abuse reporting system, working closely with the relevant law enforcement authorities throughout this process.”

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