Chelsea's Karen Carney calls for end to 'abhorrent, totally unacceptable and very upsetting' online abuse

Target: Karen Carney
PA
Vaishali Bhardwaj19 October 2018

Chelsea midfielder Karen Carney has described the "abhorrent, totally unacceptable and very upsetting" abuse she has received on social media this week.

Carney was targeted on Instagram by a user unknown to her, who sent her rape and death threats during Chelsea’s Champions League win over Fiorentina on Wednesday in which the midfielder scored a match-winning penalty in the 1-0 victory.

The Football Association released a statement on Thursday saying they were "appalled and dismayed" by the abuse and urged the police to tackle the "growing problem".

In a statement posted online, Carney said: "I would like to take a moment to address the vile messages aimed at myself and my team-mates on social media this week.

"The kind of abuse in abhorrent, totally unacceptable and very upsetting. It was swiftly reported by the club as is standard practice. I now trust it will be dealt with by the correct authorities to ensure this doesn't happen again to either myself of anyone else.

"I would like to thank all those who have offered messages of support, including the fans, media and others within the game.

"I'd also like to thank Chelsea and the FA who were swift to report those responsible to both Instagram and the police.

"I'd now like to concentrate on preparing for our game against Birmingham on Sunday."

Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri has condemned the online abuse as “disgusting” and unacceptable, telling reporters earlier on Friday: "I think, first of all, I watched the last match against Fiorentina. She's a very good midfielder. She scored.

"About the situation, what can I say? It's not acceptable. It's disgusting. I don't know what else to say."

When then asked if social media abuse to both female and male Chelsea players was an issue he was concerned about, Sarri replied: "I don't know. I'm not used to using (social media).

"I think you can use social media, but only for work. Not for socialising. I have a problem to speak with my friends on the phone because I like very much to speak to them face to face, to have dinner together.

"So I don't know what to say. It's not my world. I don't know."

A spokesperson for Instagram confirmed the account that sent the three abusive messages to Carney has been removed, while the Metropolitan Police "takes allegations of threatening and abusive behaviour very seriously" and encourages victims to come forward.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT