The son of the British heir to intervene against racist abuse towards footballers
Prince William, son of the British heir to the heir Prince Charles, described the racist abuse directed at football players as "despicable", stressing that it "must stop now" after Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford became the last star subject to such practices.
The speech of the Duke of Cambridge, president of the English Football Association, comes after the Professional Footballers' League accused social media companies of not working strictly and assertively to curb racist posts.
Both Frenchman Anthony Martial and Dutch teammates Exel Tuanzebi were Rashford colleagues, Chelsea defender Reese James and West Bromwich player Romain Sawers from Saint Kitts and Nevis were subject to racist abuse on social media in the last week.
Rashford was targeted after United's goalless draw with Arsenal on Saturday, prompting police to open an investigation.
William tweeted, "Racial abuse - whether on the field, in the stands or on social media - is despicable and must stop now."
"We all have a responsibility to create an environment in which such abuse is not tolerated, and those who choose to spread hatred and divide are responsible for their actions," he said.
The ATP has called on communication platforms to demonstrate that they are truly committed to addressing a problem they say has been in a "crisis phase" for two years.
"Every effort must be made to protect them (professional footballers), and all other users, from racist abuse while using social media," she said in a statement.
"The repercussions of hate crimes should be monitored outside the virtual world whenever possible," she added.
Greater Manchester Police said that a number of offensive comments had been reported against United players, adding that they would "investigate these crimes thoroughly."
Rashford, who led a nationwide campaign to combat child poverty, said the comments showed "humanity and social media in their worst form."
And he added, through a tweet on his account, "I am a black man and I live every day and I am proud of that (...) No one, or no one comment, will make me feel any difference. Very sorry if you are looking for a strong reaction, you simply will not get it here." .
A 49-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of racist abuse of Sawers.
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