‘Racist insults are ignorance and only make me stronger’ – Paul Pogba responds to vile online abuse
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has spoken out for the first time after he and teammate Marcus Rashford were targeted with racist abuse online.
Frenchman Pogba was subjected to vile insults on Twitter after he saw his second-half penalty saved in the Premier League draw against Wolverhampton on Monday, prompting Manchester United and a number of Pogba’s teammates - including Rashford - to publically condemn the insults.
Twitter promised to meet representatives from United and campaign group Kick It Out after the incidents, although England striker Rashford was subjected to similar abuse on Saturday after he missed a spot-kick in the 2-1 home defeat against Crystal Palace.
Pogba, 26, has now taken to Twitter to condemn the recent abuse, highlighting the racism faced by previous generations and vowing that the insults “can only motivate me to fight for the next generation.”
My ancestors and my parents suffered for my generation to be free today, to work, to take the bus, to play football. Racist insults are ignorance and can only make me stronger and motivate me to fight for the next generation. pic.twitter.com/J9IqyWQj4K
— Paul Pogba (@paulpogba) August 25, 2019
Along with the message, Pogba shared a picture of himself and his young son, who was born in January, with images of his father and Martin Luther King in the background.
After the latest abuse toward England forward Rashford, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said he was "lost for words."
"It needs to stop. I am lost for words. We keep having all these campaigns and people keeping hiding behind fake identities," the Norweigan said.
