Twitter has agreed to hold talks with a prominent sports nonprofit group to address rampant racismonline just days after a football player for English club Chelsea was subjected to a barrage of insults for missing a penalty.
Troy Townsend, a campaigner with anti-discrimination group Kick It Out, told Sky Sports his organisation had rung the alarm bell shortly after the UEFA Super Cup final in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Wednesday.
No sooner had Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, 21, missed the Blues’ fifth and final penalty in a nail-biting shoot-out against Liverpool, than the abuse began to pour in.
“We’ve had a bit of good news, which is that Twitter want to sit down and talk,” Townsend said on Thursday.
“That’s a start and what we asked for. Hopefully, there will be some actions coming out of those conversations,” he added.
“The fact that they have acknowledged communication from us and willing to talk means we open up the conversation. The proof will be in the pudding.”