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Bright Osayi-Samuel has revealed that he suffered racial abuse on social media after QPR’s 1-1 draw with Norwich on Tuesday night.
After the match, in which Osayi-Samuel scored the QPR tie from the penalty spot, the 22-year-old posted a screenshot of the abuse he had received on his Instagram account, describing it as “disgusting and painful to receive messages. like this”. .
The message also included threats to his family.
In a statement to Sky Sports News On Wednesday morning, QPR CEO Lee Hoos said: “We fully deplore the egregious abuse that Bright has been subjected to.
“It amazes me that people feel they can freely post such comments without fear of retaliation.
“We are working with Instagram and we ask them to help us identify the person in question.
“I feel that social media platforms have a duty to take care of their users who are victims in this way.”
QPR football director Les Ferdinand added: “This type of abuse on social media is too common and must be stopped.
“In a society that now rightly places greater importance on mental well-being than ever, how can people create anonymous accounts on social media?
“This will go on and on until we stop making it possible.
“I believe that the governing bodies of all sport, not just football, must come together to create a powerful voice demanding that social media platforms change their stance.”
‘Instagram should review its policy’
The anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out also condemned the behavior and wants Instagram to review its direct message policy.
Kick It Out President Sanjay Bhandari said: “The abuse Bright Osayi-Samuel received on Instagram [on Tuesday night] it was unacceptable. We want this matter to be investigated and appropriate action taken against the person behind this post.
“We also believe that Instagram should review their direct message policy and consider cutting them, unless the accounts follow each other. It is not right for anyone to send abusive messages to whoever they want, especially when there is a solution to prevent that.
“We will continue to work closely with social media companies to improve policies and practices. As we said before, this is partly a technology problem, so it will require technology solutions.
“We will hold social media companies accountable until the appropriate changes are made to provide greater protection for players in the future.”
Sky Sports News has reached out to Instagram for comment.
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Kick It Out Chairman Sanjay Bhandari Says A New Three-Year Partnership With Sky That Will See Sky Commit £ 3 Million Of Funding To Fight Racism Is ‘Really Exciting’
Meanwhile, Scotland’s police are investigating DNA samples from a racist letter that was sent to Kilmarnock manager Alex Dyer, as the club works with the force to identify the individuals involved.
The Scottish Premiership club received a letter on Monday morning after their 2-1 home loss to Livingston on Boxing Day.
Tottenham defender Ryan Sessegnon recently spoke out about the abuse he was subjected to on social media after making his debut for Hoffenheim during his loan season with the club.
PFA survey shows continued support for kneeling
A poll from the Professional Soccer Players Association has shown that players overwhelmingly support continuing to kneel.
The PFA sent a questionnaire to all of its members asking if it should continue after a series of incidents in which fans booed the anti-racism gesture, and what is the best way to convey the anti-discrimination message to leagues, clubs and players.
The results showed that 80 percent of the players support continuing with this act of solidarity despite the adverse responses that may be received, with more than 400 responses to the survey.
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