JAKARTA - Manchester City striker Raheem Sterling and defender Kyle Walker were racially abused on Instagram following the team's 1-0 loss to Chelsea in the Champions League final on Saturday.
This was reported by Sky Sports, quoted by Reuters, Sunday, May 30. The report said the two were sent an ape emoji on their Instagram after the match.
Sterling was also a target following City's semi-final win over Paris St Germain, shortly after English football's social media boycott campaign ended earlier this month.
Reuters has contacted Facebook, which owns Instagram, for comment.
Several players at Premier League clubs have been targeted in recent months, including Manchester United's Anthony Martial, Liverpool's Trent-Alexander Arnold and Sadio Mane and Chelsea's Reece James.
Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford said he had been subjected to "at least 70 racial slurs" on social media following Wednesday's defeat by Villarreal in the Europa League final.
In February, the governing body Football England sent an open letter to Facebook and Twitter, urging the immediate blocking and removal of offensive posts, as well as a better verification process for users.
Instagram has announced the new measures and Twitter has pledged to continue its efforts after taking action on more than 700 cases of football-related abuse in England in 2019.
The UK this month said a new bill plans that would see social media companies be fined up to 10% of turnover or £18 million if they fail to crack down on online harassment, while senior managers could also face criminal action.
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