Racism: Zaha wants action against online abuse

Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha. [Reuters]

Crystal Palace player Wilfried Zaha wants “action” and “education” against the racial abuse that he and other Black athletes are regularly subject to on social media.

A 12-year-old boy was arrested on Sunday after the Ivory Coast international highlighted racist abuse he received ahead of Palace’s match at Aston Villa.

The messages and https://cdn.standardmedia.co.ke/images referenced Zaha’s race and showed the Ku Klux Klan. They were sent on Instagram from a user who included central England-based club Villa in their name.

“People need to understand that whatever your age, that your behaviour and your words come with consequences and you cannot hide behind social media,” Zaha said in a post on Instagram on Monday.

Zaha said it’s time for “action” because this was not an isolated incident.

“This is not the first time I have received messages like this, nor am I the only player to receive messages like this — it happens every day. It’s not enough to be disgusted by these messages and move on. It isn’t enough to just say #notoracism.