Antonio Rudiger Claims Social Media Companies Are PROFITING From Racism Directed At Players Online

Antonio Rudiger is the latest high-profile Premier League star to reveal he has suffered ‘immense’ racist abuse on social media, prompting Chelsea to launch an investigation, which could result in police action and see some of their own fans banned from the club.

As pressure grows on social media companies from football and the Government to take responsibility for hate speech on their platforms, Rudiger revealed he had been racially abused on social media by Chelsea fans who blamed him for being influential in the sacking of Frank Lampard’, a claim which Rudiger says is ‘nonsense’.

But the German says he does not expect Twitter and other social media companies will do anything to stop the abuse as he thinks they are more concerned about money than morals.

It comes after Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, Axel Tuanzebe, Antony Martial, Chelsea’s Reece James, Southampton’s Alexandre Jankewitz, and WBA’s Romaine Sawyers have all reported that they had been racially abused on social media.

Police are investigating, with a man having been arrested in the Sawyers case and Chelsea have passed evidence to the police in James’ case and will do so on behalf of Rudiger as well.

Football League clubs are considering a week-long boycott of Twitter, while West Ham’s vice-chairman Karren Brady has condemned Twitter for evading their responsibilities, as the Government prepare legislation which could see tech firms fined billions of pounds if they fail to root out illegal and vitriolic abuse