The Duke of Cambridge has called for racist abuse aimed at footballers to stop, calling it “despicable”.
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford was the latest player subjected to racist abuse this weekend after a series of incidents.
On Sunday, Greater Manchester Police began an investigation into the abuse.
And writing on Twitter, Prince William, who is also the president of the Football Association, praised those who had spoken out.
He said: “Racist abuse – whether on the pitch, in the stands, or on social media – is despicable and it must stop now.
“We all have a responsibility to create an environment where such abuse is not tolerated, and those who choose to spread hate and division are held accountable for their actions. That responsibility extends to the platforms where so much of this activity now takes place.
“I commend all those players, supporters, clubs and organisations who continue to call out and condemn this abuse in the strongest terms.”
The abuse aimed at Rashford on Saturday followed similar treatment of team-mates Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial.
“A number of these comments have been reported to us and we are liaising with those involved to provide support and we will be investigating these crimes thoroughly,” said a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) statement.
Rashford described the abuse as “humanity and social media at its worst”.
The 23-year-old, who was awarded the MBE for his work fighting child food poverty, received multiple racist messages on Instagram on Saturday.
They were sent to the England striker after United’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal.
“I’m a black man and I live every day proud that I am,” he said on Twitter.
“No-one, or no one comment, is going to make me feel any different. So sorry if you were looking for a strong reaction, you’re just simply not going to get it here.
“I’m not sharing screenshots. It would be irresponsible to do so and as you can imagine there’s nothing original in them.
“I have beautiful children of all colours following me and they don’t need to read it. Beautiful colours that should only be celebrated.
GMP said they were aware that a number of Manchester United players had suffered abuse on social media between Wednesday and Saturday.
They added: “Nobody should be subject to such abuse and it is deeply upsetting not only to those who suffer it, but to all those who come across this awful language too.
“These hateful words have no place anywhere in our society whether online or otherwise.”
Facebook, which owns Instagram, also released a statement after Rashford’s abuse. It said: “We have taken action in this case by removing accounts and comments and are continuing to investigate.”