Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen has highlighted the torrent of abuse he has received on social media following the club’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield.
The Danish defender was involved in one of the biggest flashpoints of the game, when Reds forward Darwin Nunez headbutted Andersen and received a red card.
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Andersen was able to get under the skin of the Uruguayan, leading to a rise in frustrations and ultimately to Nunez’s angry reaction after the pair clashed in the penalty box.
While Liverpool were able to cancel out Wilfried Zaha’s opener through Luis Diaz, the draw leaves them without a win from their opening two Premier League matches of the season and Andersen was a target for trolls on social media after the game.
Revealing the abuse on Instagram, Andersen shared 17 images including death threats and abusive messages while urging football’s governing bodies to take action.
“Got maybe 300 to 400 of these messages last night. I understand you support a team but have some respect and stop acting tough online,” he said.
“I hope Instagram and the Premier League do something about this.”
1 – Darwin Núñez is the second Liverpool player to be sent off on his first Premier League appearance at Anfield after Joe Cole vs Arsenal in 2010, also on August 15th. Mist. #LIVCRY pic.twitter.com/pDF2Ahvks7
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 15, 2022
Abuse against footballers on social media has been well documented in recent years and there have been frequent calls for more firm action to be taken.
On Tuesday, a man was handed an eight-week suspended custodial sentence following racist abuse targeted at England footballers Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford following their missed penalties in the European Championship final against Italy last year.
Last April, English clubs announced a boycott of social media in response to discrimination and abuse aimed at footballers, pundits and other members of the footballing community.
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