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Chelsea say they are “disgusted” after right-back Reece James suffered racist abuse on social media.
James, 21, posted a screenshot of the racist messages he received via Instagram on Friday, with the caption “something needs to change”.
“This club finds racism and all forms of discriminatory behavior totally unacceptable. We totally condemn it,” Chelsea said in a statement.
James is the latest player to experience racist abuse on social media this week.
Friday, West Brom said they contacted police on an alleged racist message sent to midfielder Romaine Sawyers.
Manchester United players Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial were also victims of racist abuse on social media following Wednesday’s home loss to Sheffield United.
“In sport, as in society at large, we need to create a social media environment in which hateful and discriminatory actions are as unacceptable online as they would be on the streets,” the Chelsea statement added.
“We add our voice to those urging social media platforms and regulators to take stronger, more effective and more urgent action against this despicable behavior.
“Something has to change and it has to change now.”
Earlier on Friday, Premier League general manager Richard Masters condemned the abuse suffered by the players, saying he was “appalled”.
“Racist behavior in any form is unacceptable and no one should have to face it,” he said.
“Tackling hate online is a priority for football, and I think social media companies need to do more.”
He said the Premier League had “a regular dialogue” with social media companies, adding: “We want to see faster removal of offensive posts and better identification and banning of offenders.”
The Association of Professional Footballers, the players’ union, has encouraged players targeted by racial abuse to “file a complaint”.
On Monday, the British government spoke with current and former footballers on fight against discrimination and abuse.
The government plans to introduce new online abuse laws this year and the Premier League has launched its own online abuse reporting system.
A spokesperson for Facebook, who also owns Instagram, said: “There is no room for racism on Instagram and we are committed to removing it when we find it. We know there is still a lot to be done. do and we will continue to work closely with football clubs, players and authorities to investigate cases of discrimination and collectively tackle this issue.
Twitter also released a statement saying, “Racist behavior has no place on our service and when we identify accounts that violate any of Twitter’s rules, we take enforcement action.
“We are proactively engaged and continue to work with our valued football partners to identify ways to collectively tackle this problem and con
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