Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford says he faced “at least 70 racial slurs” on social media after his team’s loss to Villarreal in the Europa League final in Gdansk on Wednesday, May 27.
Underdogs Villarreal won its first major trophy 11-10 on penalties after a 1-1 draw following extra time in Wednesday’s final.
Red Devils have failed to make good on all their progress shown this season both at home and abroad, and though they finished runner-up to rivals Manchester City in the Premier League, many have already begun criticizing players including Rashford for having failed to bring the club their first trophy since 2016-17.
Rashford has been heavily involved on the front-lines of the constant battle when it comes to censorship online regarding abuse online of any kind from fans to the athletes.
A couple of players at Premier League clubs have been a target in the recent past, including United’s Anthony Martial, Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling, Liverpool’s Trent-Alexander Arnold and Sadio Mane, and Chelsea’s Reece James.
In February, English football bodies sent an open letter to Facebook and Twitter, urging blocking and swift takedowns of offensive posts, as well as an improved verification process for users.
The Online Racial abuse was highly criticized by Arsenal's legend who opted to boycott the social media platforms until appropriate action is taken by the various Social Media Houses.