'It's a bad place, social media' - David McGoldrick reveals online abuse

Sheffield United's David McGoldrick (right) celebrates with Jayden Bogle after scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Premier League match at Bramall Lane, Sheffield. Picture: Michael Regan/PA Wire. 

Former Republic of Ireland international midfielder David McGoldrick has revealed he has been abused on social media.

On the weekend when football boycotts social media, McGoldrick has disclosed that he was abused after he scored the first Premier League goal of his career for Sheffield United last season.

He said: "I scored my first-ever Premier League goal last year, on a high sitting at home with my kids and I go into my phone and I get a message that’s... speechless – the words, the emojis, what I got called, it left a sour taste in my mouth.

"It’s a bad place, social media. It’s not about how strong you are it’s just about how much you want to take on there and I’ve got kids and I’ve got to prove to them that these things aren’t right.” 

Speaking to ITV's political editor Robert Peston, McGoldrick added: “Whether it (this weekend's footballing boycott of social media) will achieve anything, we will find out. But I believe it’s a start. People have to speak up, we have to make actions for things to change.

"You see what happened with the Super League, you speak up and things get said then things happen. We need change. Racism is a much bigger subject than the Super League.

"We want change and we need change. Otherwise, in two, three or 20 years we will still saying the same thing.

“Racism has been going on for ages, it’s always there. It’s never on the front foot.

"We wear t-shirts sometimes, we take the knee to show our stance, but it’s always stuck on the back burner.

“Enough is enough, we have got to try and do something to stop this because it’s 2021 and this shouldn’t really be going on.”

Meanwhile, the Football Association of Ireland announced it would support the social media boycott this weekend by switching off the FAI’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels from midnight on Friday to midnight on Sunday as "an act of solidarity with all those who have been subjected to online abuse".

FAI Chief Executive Jonathan Hill said: “We are taking this stand in support of the boycott originating in England in response to the ongoing and sustained discriminatory abuse received online by players, including our own Irish players playing in English football, and many others connected to football."