At the end of March, Arsenal and French national team legend Thierry Henry decided to delete his social media accounts due to the constant racial abuse many black footballers are subjected to on these platforms and the inability of social media companies to hold users accountable for their actions.
At first, it seemed that Henry’s initiative and protest would not find an echo within the sporting community. However, that has begun to change and people are starting to react.
From Friday 30 April, various clubs from the Premier League, English Football League, Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship will take part in a three-day social media blackout.
The initiative will also involve governing bodies of the game and organisations such as Kick It Out. Some of the UK’s biggest media broadcasters such as Sky Sports and BT Sport have confirmed that they will also be joining the cause.
Henry, who many see as the man who dared to take the first step, gave his views on the blackout in an interview with CNN.
“When I saw that it did happen recently, I was actually happy about it, but I was thinking about all those people that have been waiting for that for a very long time. When we come together, it’s powerful,” said the iconic forward.
