Manchester City duo Raheem Sterling and Kyle Walker racially abused online after Champions League defeat

By Ben Church, CNN

Manchester City stars Raheem Sterling and Kyle Walker both received racist messages on Instagram after losing 1-0 to Chelsea in the Champions League final on Saturday.

Facebook, which owns Instagram, said the abuse sent to the players was “abhorrent” and said it acted swiftly to remove a number of comments and accounts for breaking its rules.

“We’re continuing to review and take action against those that violate our policies,” said a Facebook company spokesperson. “We have built safety features, including Comment Filters and Message Controls, which can meaningfully decrease the abuse people experience.

“No single thing will fix this challenge overnight but we’re committed to doing what we can to keep our community safe from abuse.”

Manchester City was not immediately available for comment and neither player has yet spoken publicly about the abuse.

The latest incident comes after a number of players have been subject to racism on social media this year, including both Walker and Sterling on multiple occasions.

Most recently, Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford said he has received “at least 70 racial slurs” on social media following his side’s Europa League defeat to Villarreal on Wednesday.

The Premier League, in unison with the rest of English football, held a social media boycott from April 30 to May 3 to bring awareness to the racial abuse directed at players and high profile figures such as Thierry Henry have called for more to be done to tackle the issue.