Roman Abramovich has sent a letter to Chelsea players and said he is shocked by the absuse directed towards thr club’s right-back Reece James.
The defender revealed racist messages he received on Instagram last week, while two Manchester United players – Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial and West Brom’s Romaine Sawyers have all suffered the same abuse over the last seven days.
According to MailOnline, Abramovich has now written to every member of the Chelsea team and has vowed to provide more funding in order to tackle the issue.
‘I am appalled by the racist abuse targeted at Reece on social media,’ Roman Abramovich wrote in the letter.
‘Racism has no place in our club nor in our society. Our club is committed to fighting racism, antisemitism and all forms of discrimination. ‘I want you to know that as players you have my and the club’s absolute support.
‘The racist abuse targeted at Reece follows a number of recent incidents and I know that several of our players have been the targets of hate and discrimination on social media.
‘It shocks me that only days after we commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day we as a society do not seem to have learned the lessons of our shared past and the consequences that hate and discrimination can have. ‘We cannot allow this to continue unchecked.
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‘I have therefore directed the board to further increase the club’s efforts in this area and I will personally direct more funds towards this important work. We will be setting out our actions as a club in the coming days.
‘I want Chelsea Football Club to do more to challenge discrimination at our club, in our communities and in the world around us.
‘Rest assured that we will play a leading role in this vital work and demonstrate that football is a sport that is open to all.’
