Sam Allardyce: Force social media into action

Clubs in the Premier League and EFL will go silent on social media from 3pm today until 11.59pm on Monday in response to continued online abuse of players.

The Express & Star sports desk is joining the boycott along with other media outlets including BT Sport and talkSPORT.

Albion duo Romaine Sawyers and Callum Robinson are just two of a number of players in the region who have received abhorrent racial abuse on social media in recent months. And Allardyce has urged all football fans to take part in the boycott in a bid to try and force social media companies to clamp down on the hate they are allowing to be published.

“I’ve told all our players and staff to join it – they are happy to join it particularly after some of the racial abuse some of our players have had,” Allardyce said.

“We are right up for it. I have just had to tell the lads that it starts at 3pm this afternoon (Friday).

“For those lads who have media companies looking after their accounts, I’ve told them to get in touch with them ASAP so they don’t forget. I hope this is the start of something bigger. I hope other sports join in, I hope people across the country do it.

“It will not make a difference just doing it once, or a few days.

“It will only make a difference if this is something that is going to grow and grow and get bigger and bigger.

“That needs to be planned out carefully. But hopefully, this is the start. I hope and encourage everybody to join in with us, particularly if they’re a football fan, regardless of who they support.

“Let’s try and make a difference because this has to stop.

“We need to force the social media companies, the government, to make a difference and to put a stop to all-sorts of abuse that is taking place on social media.”