Aston Villa have condemned the ‘abhorrent and vile’ racist abuse sent to Tyrone Mings and described the defender as an inspirational figure in the fight for equality.
On Friday, the England international posted a screenshot on Twitter of the abuse he had received.
An Instagram user called him a ‘f****** n*****’ and said ‘leave the football f****** pig’.
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Mings tweeted: “Another day in the life of social media with no filter… Please don’t feel sorry for us, just stand side by side in the fight for change. Social media isn’t getting any safer without it.”
England and Villa were quick to show their support for the 28-year-old. The Premier League side highlighted the fine work the centre-back has done in the fight against racism.
A club statement read: “Aston Villa is disgusted by the appalling racist abuse directed towards Tyrone Mings on social media.
“In the early hours of this morning, Tyrone received an abhorrent and vile private message on his social media account.
“We condemn all forms of racial discrimination and will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Tyrone, who is an inspirational figure at the forefront of the fight against racism.
“The club will continue to work closely with the Premier League, football authorities and social media platforms to tackle this disgraceful online behaviour.”
Unfortunately, Mings is only the latest in a long line of professional footballers who have suffered racial abuse online in recent months.
Fellow England stars Marcus Rashford, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Raheem Sterling have all been targeted, among others.
A post on England’s official Twitter account read: “We are running out of ways to say this: stop racially abusing people online. It is simply not acceptable. We’re with you, Tyrone.”
Instagram told the PA news agency that an investigation had begun into the abuse Mings received. A further comment is expected once the investigation has concluded.
Mings admitted at the start of April a social media blackout could be a way to force more action during an interview with Sky Sports.
Former Arsenal and Barcelona forward Thierry Henry recently shut down his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts due to the platforms being ‘too toxic to ignore’.
Championship sides Swansea and Birmingham ended week-long social media boycotts on Thursday, while Rangers players and staff were also involved in a similar boycott in support of Glen Kamara and Kemar Roofe.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson revealed on Wednesday he may close his social media accounts due to continued abuse directed at his team-mates and fellow professionals.
Anti-discrimination body Kick It Out have stated they would support any Premier League-wide boycott, amid reports English top-flight clubs were considering such a move.
Villa defender Mings was also racially abused in Bulgaria at the end of 2019 on his England debut.
The Euro 2020 qualifier in Sofia was halted on two occasions after racist abuse from the crowd towards the centre-back and some of his international colleagues was reported to the match officials.
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