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Anti-racism social media boycott: Mikel, Ighalo, others join campaign

Super Eagles stars joined footballers across England to boycott social media for 24 hours in a stand against racism.

Nigeria internationals Mikel Obi, Jude Ighalo, Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Kenneth Omeruo and Semi Ajayi are among those who have joined the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) campaign to abstain from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram from 9 a.m. Friday until 9 a.m. Saturday (today) in an effort to put
pressure on social media platforms and footballing organisations to crack down on racist abuse.

Before their online embargo, many posted a final message to their online accounts, some using the hashtag “#Enough.”

“We are making a stand against racist abuse,” the posts read.”We recognise that our platforms come with responsibility, and so we are using our voice to stand against racist abuse.
“Together, we are calling on social media platforms and footballing bodies to do more!”

Current players including Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Georginio Wijnaldum, Wes Morgan and star names not currently playing in England such as David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Gareth Bale as well as a number of clubs such as Watford, Crystal Palace and Burnley also posted their support to the cause.

The boycott was birthed in response to a series of high-profile incidents of racism in England and abroad in recent weeks and months.

Earlier this week, Manchester United condemned abuse directed at Ashley Young online following the club’s Champions League exit at Barcelona.

Watford captain Troy Deeney was also targeted with racial insults on Instagram earlier this month after scoring in an FA Cup semifinal win over Wolverhampton.

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