England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed that Premier League coaches fear for their young players and their eagerness to check social media accounts immediately after games, given the toxic environment of abuse and racism that exists on platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.
But he won’t attempt to persuade players off social media in the wake of Thierry Henry’s decision to delete his accounts to protest at the weak response of companies such as Facebook, who own Instagram, and Twitter in confronting racism online.
The England manager, who enjoyed his team connecting with fans on social media during the 2018 World Cup, said: ‘If you spoke to every manager in the country, one of their biggest concerns is that after a game in the dressing room, players are scrolling through their phone.