Tottenham Hotspur player Ryan Sessegnon has revealed horrific racist abused he received on Instagram in which he was called a “f****** n*****” and a “slave”.
The 20-year-old, who is on loan with Germany side Hoffenheim this season, posted the vile messages that were sent to him via direct message on Instagram on Monday night and admitted that the abuse no longer shocks him given how regularly it happens.
Sessegnon posted a screengrab of the abuse, and added: “Honestly unbelievable smh (shaking my head). The craziest thing is I'm not even surprised anymore. Disgusting.”
It is the latest instance of a black footballer being racially abused on social media, with fellow Premier League players Wilfried Zaha, Raheem Sterling and Troy Deeney all revealing the racism they receive through social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.
Spurs sent a message of support to their on-loan midfielder, adding that they were “proud” of the club’s diversity that remains something to be celebrated.
Spurs said on Twitter: “Everyone at the Club is with you Ryan Sessegnon.
“We are proud of the rich ethnic diversity that exists across our communities, fans, staff and players.
“We are driven by inclusion and equality for all and nobody should have to endure such repulsive abuse.”
The account responsible for the abuse has since been removed from Instagram.
Sessegnon joined Bundesliga club Hoffenheim last month following the arrival of Real Madrid defender Sergio Reguilon, with the England Under-21 international failing to break into the first team at Spurs on a regular basis since a £25m move from Fulham in 2019.
His decision to publicly post the racist abuse follows a number of players who have chosen to do similar, with social media providing an easy method for online trolls to send racist messages to others from anonymous accounts.
Last month, Watford captain Troy Deeney questioned why social media companies are not doing more to protect people from such racism, given that anyone can sign up for an account without any form of identification.
