England captain Maro Itoje has criticised the “corrosive” effects of social media in response to the racial abuse faced by Ireland’s Edwin Edogbo following his international debut.
Edogbo, born and raised in County Cork to Nigerian parents, was targeted online after his appearance as a replacement in Saturday’s 20-13 Guinness Six Nations victory over Italy, prompting the Ireland Rugby Football Union (IRFU) to launch an investigation.
Itoje reflected on the racist abuse directed towards Edogbo as well as Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr in a UEFA Champions League match earlier this week, warning against the “corrosive” nature of social media.
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Maro Itoje, who is set to make his 100th appearance for England this weekend at Twickenham against Ireland in the Six Nations, suggests the team’s long-term goal remains a World Cup win
“It’s very sad on two fronts,” Itoje said. “Social media has been a force for good in many ways, but it’s been a force for negativity in a lot of other ways.
“It’s really important for athletes, as well as ordinary people, not to live their life based on what social media says about them. It will just be a horrible way to live your life.
“I’d advise all top-level athletes not to spend too much time on social media because it’s really corrosive, both from the negativity that’s on there but also what it does to our brains.
“I think we’re going to see in the coming years a huge amount of damage that has been done to us as humans and as a society as a result of social media in terms of brains and brain development.
“Secondly, the stuff around Edwin is obviously incredibly sad. It’s something that no one should have to go through and it’s a further reminder that there’s still work to do.”
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Kevin Sinfield says Maro Itoje is a great role model for his England team-mates and will fully deserve his 100th cap against Ireland
Itoje insists athletes need to have a social media presence for the benefit of their careers but the British and Irish Lions skipper urges caution over its use, including not being seduced by any hype.
“It’s very dangerous, not only for the negativity but even when it is positive it can be corrosive,” Itoje said.
“What tends to happen is positive news tends to be extremely positive and negative news seems to be extremely negative and in reality you are always somewhere in the middle.”
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Liverpool head coach Arne Slot says the football community should do more in combating racism following the alleged racist abuse targeted at Vinicius Junior during the Benfica and Real Madrid game
Football governing body UEFA is investigating alleged racist abuse towards Vinicius Jr, and Itoje said it is just another example of a problematic climate.
Itoje continued: “We have these incidents that happen which are terribly sad and they should be condemned with full force when they do happen.
“But what happened to Vinicius Jr… 30 years ago that probably wouldn’t have even made the press. The referee would have told him to get on with it. His team-mates probably would have said that to him.
“So while the stuff we’re seeing, whether it’s Vinicius Jr, whether it’s Edwin Edogbo, they are terribly sad and we as a community need to keep on stamping this type of thing out.
“But I do also believe that we are moving in somewhat the right direction, although moving in somewhat the direction is not a given.”