EPL players boycott social media

LONDON: English Premier League stars led footballers in England and Wales in a 24-hour social media boycott on Friday in a bid to combat racist abuse online.

Watford striker Troy Deeney — who blocked replies to his Instagram account earlier this month after receiving abuse — summed up the anger he and fellow footballers feel, saying: “Enough is enough.”

The campaign, which is being coordinated by England’s Professional Footballers’ Association, urges players to stay off all social media from 9:00am (0800 GMT) Friday.

The universal message across the footballers’ Twitter accounts used the hashtag #Enough with the message “MAKE A STAND AGAINST RACISM — A campaign by the PFA”.

The PFA said the boycott was the “first step in a longer campaign to tackle racism in football”.