Police charge man over racial abuse of West Brom midfielder Romaine Sawyers
ByReuters
Published 14/04/2021 at 10:20 GMT
West Midlands Police have charged 49-year-old Simon Silwood, accused of sending an offensive message to Sawyers via social media in January. The Saint Kitts and Nevis international is one of a number of footballers who have been targets of online abuse this year and some football clubs have taken a stand by boycotting social media platforms.
West Brom midfielder Romaine Sawyers was a target of racist abuse in January
Image credit: Getty Images
Police have charged a man after racist abuse was sent to West Brom midfielder Romaine Sawyers on social media earlier this year.
A number of Premier League players, including Manchester United strikers Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, have been subjected to racial abuse online in recent months, and English football officials has been piling pressure on social media companies to do more to tackle the issue.
Instagram has announced measures and Twitter has said it will continue its efforts after taking action on more than 700 cases of abuse related to soccer in Britain in 2019.
Some clubs in the UK, including Swansea and Scottish Premiership champions Rangers, have boycotted social media completely to take a stand.
Sawyers was targeted after West Brom's 5-0 Premier League home defeat by Manchester City on January 26.
"Simon Silwood is accused of sending an offensive message to the footballer via social media in January of this year," West Midlands Police said in a statement.
"The 49-year-old from Kingswinford has been charged under the Communications Act to appear before Dudley Magistrates Court on 29 April."
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