LONDON, 16 Aug. (dpa/EP) –
Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen has been the target of insults and death threats on social media by Liverpool fans after the two teams tied (1-1), in which he received a header from Darwin Núñez.
The Uruguayan striker was given a straight red card by referee Paul Tierney in the 57th minute and now faces a three-match ban for violent conduct. Many ‘reds’ supporters accused the ‘Eagles’ defender of causing his expulsion.
“I got maybe 300-400 of these messages last night,” the Dane posted in an Instagram story, showing some of the threats received. “I understand that you support a team, but have a little respect and stop acting like that on the internet. I hope that @instagram and the @premierleague do something about it,” he added.
A Premier League spokesman confirmed that the body had contacted Crystal Palace this morning to offer assistance.
Some of the screenshots called for the player’s death, while others, many full of swear words, contained other harsh attacks, including threats to Andersen and his family.
“I will kill you and your family. Go to hell. See you, you will die,” one user wrote. “I hope you and your family have a long life of pain, you fucking bastard,” wrote another. “I hope your plane crashes on the way back to London,” wished a third.
The Internet Safety Bill, welcomed by both the FA and the anti-discrimination charity Kick it Out, was due to be debated in Parliament in July.
The legislation is designed to impose greater care on tech companies to tackle abuse and hate on their platforms, but has been postponed until the conclusion of the campaign for the leadership of the Conservative Party, to be decided by the next prime minister.