Social media fails and blunders

HOPE POWELL has called for tougher sanctions against trolls who engage in racist and sexist abusive behaviour online. And the Brighton gaffer, whose team will play Reading, has welcomed football’s boycott of social media this weekend. 
Hope Powell wants tech firms to take tougher action against bigoted online trollsCredit: PA
Brighton are among the WSL teams taking part in a boycott of social media until midday on May 3Credit: Getty
Powell, 54, was speaking to reporters ahead of her players’ trip to the Madejski Stadium with the Seagulls searching for their first win against the Royals in the top flight. 
And both teams are among 12 Women’s Super League sides shunning social media and urging tech giants to take action against shocking discriminatory abuse online. 
The protest has seen The FA, Premier League, EFL and the women’s game turn off Twitter, Facebook and Instagram from 3pm on April 30 until 11:59 pm on Monday 3 May. 
Powell said: “As your profile increases in football, there’s every chance that you could be subjected to some negativity around your gender, around the fact you’re a female footballer, or the fact that you’re a player of colour or a different culture to the person who’s sending the abuse. 
“You can’t tell me it’s not damaging. I don’t use social media but we all know that some people in the public eye have shut down their social media, because of the trolling and the negativity.
“There’s every possibility that it could have quite a damaging negative effect. 
“This boycott is a really good way of sending a message that it shouldn’t be tolerated. 
“There needs to be better sanctions, it needs to be policed. 
Football teams across the country are calling for a clampdown on discriminatory abuse onlineCredit: Huw Evans
“My understanding is that you can just sign up as anybody. You can have a fake name and it needs to be a little bit better than that. 
“There needs to be proof of ID so these people can be monitored then you know who they are and then they can be sanctioned, but I can’t profess to know the technicalities of it.” 
Brighton, who are sixth, are looking to avenge a 3-1 home loss to Reading in their last league encounter in December 2020.
And the Royals have a solid record against Albion winning four of their past five clashes since Brighton’s 2018 promotion to the WSL.
Kelly Chambers’ Royals – who are seventh – are searching for their first win since their shock defeat of Man United in February. 
However, Powell, says her side who are three points above Reading, will go into the clash in a relaxed frame of mind.
Powell added: “From my perspective, we’ve done well, considering some of the pressure points we’ve been in.
“I keep mentioning (the 3-0loss to) Bristol, but that was a real turning point.
“We’re very relaxed as you can imagine because we’re not in the bottom part fighting.
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“We’re enjoying our games, training well, training with some freedom, fun and no pressure on our shoulders. 
“But the players recognise that they’re doing well and they want to continue to do well, and again it’s a lot easier when you haven’t got that pressure you can just go out and play, which is great. 
“Even as staff, we can enjoy a bit more perhaps than we did in our first season, and I think that’s really important.
“Everybody still wants to play, everybody is really eager to play and that is really encouraging.”
Victoria Williams and her Seagulls team-mates hope to pick up their first WSL win against ReadingCredit: Alamy
Reading hope to notch up their first win in the league since their 2-0 defeat of Man United in FebruaryCredit: Getty Images – Getty More

STARS of the women’s game have called on tech giants to tackle racist trolls online following an abusive post aimed at Rinsola Babajide. The England and Liverpool Women’s forward, 22, shared a screengrab of a shocking slur sent to her via Instagram in which an account used the N-word. 
Liverpool winger Rinsola Babajide has been the target of a racist message posted on InstagramCredit: PA
The Lionesses’ official Twitter account has called on social media companies to take action against racist abuse online
In the post, a user going by the name azliz1 said: “Football is only for men you n*****. 
However, Instagram surprised some users who reported the derogatory message by stating the account ‘doesn’t go against our Community Guidelines’. 
Several football aces including former Liverpool Women’s boss Vicky Jepson are demanding action against racially abusive trolls.
And some figures are directing their anger at Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #EnoughIsEnough. 
Jepson, 33, said: “Social media needs to seriously step up and put a stop to this type of behaviour!”
Jepson’s words were echoed by Chelsea keeper Carly Telford who called on Instagram to ‘do better’.
And Wales midfield ace Jess Fishlock and her international team-mate Helen Ward have warned tech firms to ‘step up’. 

Growing calls for a clampdown came on a day in which Swansea City announced they would be boycotting social media platforms created for their men’s and women’s teams for one week.
In a statement, the Championship side said it was taking action after several players were subjected to ‘abhorrent abuse’.
And the EFL team’s boycott of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat, comes after Jamal Lowe and two of his team-mates were targeted online. 
Jamal Lowe is one of three Swansea City players who have been targeted by accounts posting racist messagesCredit: Mike Jones/News Images
Swansea captain Matt Grimes said: “As a close and diverse group of players, this is something we all feel extremely passionate about. 
“Three of our squad have been racially abused in recent weeks and, as a squad and club, we wanted to take this stance as we again call on those at the forefront of social media companies to implement the change that is needed now and in the future.
“I find it staggering that we are still talking about racism and abuse of this kind.
“We are acutely aware of the pressures within football at this level, but it shouldn’t be underestimated as to how such levels of abuse can affect someone.
“Social media has provided so many positives over the last decade, however, the sickening and vile abuse that we are seeing on a daily and weekly basis is wholly unacceptable, and we hope that this stance across the club will be supported by everyone.
Helen Ward is calling on social media firms to tackle racist abuse onlineCredit: Getty

“We are a family, and we will always stand shoulder to shoulder with each other, whether that’s on the pitch or helping to fight injustice off it.”
Facebook, who are the owners of Instagram, told SunSport that discrimination had no place on its platforms. 
They also claimed they “want to hold people who share it accountable”.
Swansea skipper Matt Grimes says the online abuse faced by his team-mates is ‘wholly unacceptable’.Credit: Rex
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