Rangers in talks with social media firms to tackle racist abuse

Rangers have held talks with Facebook and Instagram as a step towards ending racist abuse of players on social media.

The Ibrox club called for action on the issue in the wake of the Europa League match against Slavia Prague, where Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara alleged that he was racially abused by opposition player Ondrej Kudela.

Following the incident, Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson said that several Rangers players had suffered racial abuse online.

He said it “highlights the responsibility social media outlets have in eradicating abuse from faceless cowards”.

Manager Steven Gerrard said the companies were ignoring abuse, while club captain James Tavernier said all of the team’s black players had experienced online abuse this season.

The team’s management and staff later began a boycott of social media.

Now club representatives have met with two of the biggest platforms to discuss the problem and have called for a major change in how people access social media.

Ranger say they want individuals to provide proof of identity before registering for accounts, and also believe an education programme is needed to ensure that people behave properly.

A club statement read: “Rangers can confirm that we met with Facebook and Instagram today. This was the first step in constructive dialogue between our club and social media platforms.

“As a club, we take a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of racism and discrimination. We believe faceless online perpetrators should be held accountable. It is vital that our players and staff are protected online.

“We outlined our strong belief that social media companies should make it mandatory to provide identification before being able to obtain an account.

“Furthermore, we outlined that young people should be educated and empowered to ensure future generations understand the gravity and impact of their online actions. This is a responsibility of social media platforms, but we highlighted that as a club, we are willing to assist.

“As a club, we are proud of the success of our ground-breaking Everyone Anyone campaign which sends a clear message of inclusion, togetherness and a zero-tolerance to all forms of discrimination on and off the pitch.

“We are grateful for this initial dialogue and look forward to a constructive ongoing engagement.”