Prince William said he is joining “the entire football community” in this weekend’s social media boycott.
The sporting world began a four-day blackout on their channels on Friday afternoon, with many players, clubs and broadcasters joining forces to say online abuse is not acceptable.
Players are regularly targeted by trolls andArsenal winger Bukayo Saka onThursday was the latest footballer to reveal he has been subjected to abuse.
A bill on online safety is due before Parliament this year and is expected to set out a duty of care to which tech companies must adhere, with large financial penalties for those found to be in breach.
In a tweet, signed W for William, the future king pledged his support.
In January, the Duke of Cambridge hit out at racist abuse in football, describing it as “despicable” and saying it “must stop” after several black players were targeted online.
At the time, he wrote that everyone has “a responsibility to create an environment where such abuse is not tolerated, and those who choose to spread hate and division are held accountable for their actions”.
He said such responsibility “extends to the platforms where so much of this activity now takes place”.
