Discrimination based on race, religion, sex etc is unfortunately still a prevalent part of the beautiful game today.
Despite the numerous campaigns launched by leagues and organisations, users on the internet still get away with these heinous acts.
The sentiment behind these ill-worded comments is enough to demotivate any individual, let alone an athlete who already carries the expectations of many on his/her shoulders.
The day before yesterday, another example of this came forward, as unkind comments were projected at Manchester United star Paul Pogba.
The French midfielder is currently recovering from a groin injury he suffered back in November, and his return to the pitch is still shrouded in uncertainty.
It appears that he recently took a trip to Mecca to utilise his time off the pitch, and of course, some salty fans online weren’t thrilled with his decision.
He posted a picture on Instagram in which he can be seen offering a prayer in a mosque.
The picture came along with this caption – ‘Ya Allah! Guide us in the right path, Ya Allah accept our good deeds, Ya Allah you are the one that forgives so forgive us Amine! May Allah accept our Duas brothers and sisters.’
Shockingly, the comments on his posts were largely negative, and users took shots at Pogba and his beliefs.
The flood of negative reactions forced Pogba to delete the post, simply because it got too much.
Some of the harsh reactions came from United fans themselves, Classless to say the least.
A while later, users on Twitter took note of the incident, and much more sympathetic reactions followed.
United “fans” abused Pogba for posting this picture to the point where he had to take it down.
— ً (@VxraneCEO) January 23, 2022
A man can’t even say a prayer without being attacked, such a shame… pic.twitter.com/mKhovmrDRd
Certain elements of #MUFC lost their minds earlier when #Pogba posted this.
— Jay Daly (@jaydalyutd) January 23, 2022
Judge a player by what he does on the pitch. pic.twitter.com/4OqYJUODDN
Fortunately, the general consensus was that no individual should be harassed for practising their religion, a vital message which needs more attention.