Monkey emojis were sent to Raheem Sterling and Kyle Walker’s Instagram profiles following the 1-0 defeat by Chelsea in the Champions League final.
The emojis were sent to both players Instagram profiles following the final whistle at the Estadio do Dragao on Saturday evening.
However, Instagram removed the comments and deleted the accounts afterward for breaking the rules according to a spokesperson of the company.
“The racist abuse sent to these players last night is abhorrent and we don’t want it on Instagram,” a Facebook company spokesperson told Sky Sports News.
We swiftly removed a number of comments and accounts for breaking our rules and we’re continuing to review and take action against those that violate our policies.
“We have built safety features, including Comment Filters and Message Controls, which can meaningfully decrease the abuse people experience.
No single thing will fix this challenge overnight but we’re committed to doing what we can to keep our community safe from abuse.”
Previously, the sporting community engaged in a weekend-long social media boycott where broadcasters, clubs, teams and players came off their platforms in protest over rising levels of discrimination.
However, days after the boycott Walker suffered another racial abuse from fans.
The abuse of Sterling and Walker comes after their England team-mate Marcus Rashford said he had received “at least 70 racial slurs” on his Twitter account following Manchester United’s loss in the Europa League final against Villarreal.
