EPL traces Neal Maupay online abuser to Singapore
Brighton & Hove Albion striker Neal Maupay will receive support from the English Premier League to bring legal action against an individual in Singapore who subjected him to online abuse, the league said yesterday.
The league began investigating after the matter was brought to its attention via its online abuse reporting system, that Maupay had received "threatening and abusive messages".
"Premier League investigators believe that they have tracked the location of the person responsible to Singapore and have now filed an official police complaint," the league said in a statement.
"The Premier League is liaising with local authorities and will support all subsequent legal action on behalf of Maupay."
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the abuse the Frenchman received was "wholly unacceptable".
"We responded immediately to seek justice on his behalf," Masters said.
"We take each report provided to us extremely seriously and we'll use all possible resources in supporting our players and managers to investigate incidents, regardless of where the offender is located."
The growth of social media has fuelled discriminatory abuse towards footballers in recent years, with Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba victims as well.
Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha called on social media platforms to identify and remove users who resorted to racist abuse, after he was targeted before a game last month. - REUTERS
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