Chelsea say they are “disgusted” by the racial abuse received by striker Nicolas Jackson following Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester City.
Jackson was subjected to abuse on Instagram following the 1-0 loss, in which Bernardo Silva’s 84th-minute goal was the difference between the two sides. The 22-year-old played the full 90 minutes at Wembley Stadium.
“I think all public people suffer, more in football because people hide behind social media,” Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino said when asked about the abuse on Monday. “That is why it’s not a reference. We always talk about that. It’s not a reference.
“Of course, we need to be there (on social media) because it’s a good way to communicate with the good fans, the good people who want to know about us, but other people hide behind social media to try to create (problems).
“The most important thing is to be strong and to know that cannot be a reference of what the people think about you or different things in life.”
The Athletic has contacted the Metropolitan Police and Meta, which owns Instagram, for comment.
A Chelsea statement added: “Chelsea Football Club is disgusted by the racial abuse directed towards Nicolas Jackson via social media, following Saturday evening’s game.
There is no place in society for any form of discrimination and we operate a zero-tolerance approach to any incident of this nature.
“The club will support any criminal prosecutions and take the strongest possible action, including bans, against any individual who is found to be a season ticket holder or member.”
The abuse directed at Jackson comes a week after Chelsea forward Lauren James was subjected to racist abuse on social media following Chelsea’s Women’s FA Cup semi-final defeat by Manchester United.
(Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
