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Referee Mike Dean will step down after his family was threatened on their private social media accounts, becoming the latest victims of a continuing tide of online abuse against prominent soccer figures.
Dean has reported the abuse, which included death threats, to the police and will not participate in the next round of Premier League matches, the refereeing body confirmed. He is expected to return the following week.
The incident apparently followed Dean’s decision to oust West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek in the closing seconds of his tie with Fulham last weekend.
With Manchester United’s Lauren James and Axel Tuanzebe, along with Bristol Rovers defender Mark Little, also recipients of racist messages online in recent days, social media companies have again come under fire from governing bodies and the government. .
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, responding to the racist abuse of James and Tuanzebe, once again raised the possibility that the Online Harm Act would restrict the freedoms of platforms if they did not act. “We are going to change the law so that social media companies are more responsible for what happens on their platforms, and they can begin to show their duty of care to players today by eliminating racist abuse now. Players should not be abused for doing their job, that’s enough, “he said.
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Police investigate racist abuse of Little Bristol Rovers
Police are investigating a racist message sent to Bristol Rovers side Mark Little on social media Sunday.
Little (pictured) has become the latest footballer to be attacked online, and the 32-year-old highlighted on Twitter a racist response to a photo he posted on Instagram from an account that has since been deleted.
The rovers were quick to show their support for Little and reported the incident to Avon and Somerset police.
Inspector Rob Millican said in a statement posted on the force’s Twitter account: “We are conducting a full investigation into a racist social media post sent to a Bristol Rovers footballer on Sunday. Our soccer liaison officer he has contacted the club and is organizing to speak with the player (on Monday) to take a statement.
“As part of this investigation, we will contact the social media company to try to obtain the details of the account holder and the incident will be referred to the United Kingdom Football Police Unit (UKFPU) and to Kick It Out. There is no room for any form of racist abuse. It is abhorrent, unacceptable and will never be tolerated. “
The former England U-19 defender moved to Rovers from Bolton in June 2019 on a free transfer and has made four appearances for the Pirates this season. The club said in a statement on Twitter on Sunday: “There is no place in sport or society for racism. Racism and discrimination will not be tolerated at Bristol Rovers.” PA media
Premier League CEO Richard Masters called for “proactive intervention” after Dean’s target. “It is inexcusable that Mike Dean and his family received online abuse, including death threats, as a result of their work as referees in a Premier League match,” Masters said. “Mike and his family have our full support in reporting this to the police. This once again highlights the need for more proactive intervention by social media companies to stop online abuse and identify criminals. “
After Bristol Rovers contacted police over the incidents involving Little, in which he was targeted by an Instagram user who subsequently deleted his account, Avon and Somerset police said they would seek to establish the offender’s personal details. , a key demand among those who say platforms are not doing enough to end the abuse.
“As part of this investigation, we will contact the social media company to try to obtain the details of the account holder and the incident will be referred to the UK Football Police Unit,” said Inspector Rob Millican .
Chief Referee Mike Riley added: “Threats and abuse of this nature are totally unacceptable and we fully support Mike’s decision to report these messages his family received to the police. No one should be the victim of abominable messages like this.
“Online abuse is unacceptable in any area of life and more needs to be done to address the problem.”
