Fred says racist abuse on social media ‘cannot be accepted’

Manchester United midfielder Fred says “we cannot feed that culture” after becoming the latest footballer to receive racist abuse online.

The Brazil international was targeted on Instagram after his side’s 3-1 FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Leicester on Sunday, where he gifted the ball to Kelechi Iheanacho ahead of the Foxes’ opening goal.

Fred wrote on Twitter: “Social media comments filled with hate and, above all, racism: we cannot feed that culture.

“We cannot aceppt (sic) it. We have to fight it always.

“We are bigger and better than that. Enough!”

The 28-year-old is one of several United players to be subjected to abuse in recent weeks.

Marcus Rashford posted a statement about comments directed at him in late January, while Anthony Martial and Axel Tuanzebe were also targeted.

Manchester United have previously condemned abuse directed at their players by “mindless idiots” and, in a Twitter post quoting Fred’s statement on Monday, said: “We stand together #UnitedAgainstRacism”.

Earlier this month, the UK’s football policing lead Detective Chief Constable Mark Roberts said the response of social media companies in assisting the police to identify abusers has been “woeful”.

At the time a spokesperson for Facebook, which also owns Instagram, said the company “will continue to work with the police and wider industry to collectively tackle this issue”.