Entertainment
Jermaine Jenas to host new documentary on racist social media abuse aimed at footballers
Jermaine previously slammed the social media users abusing England’s footballers (Picture: Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Jermaine Jenas is set to host a new documentary focusing on football and racism on social media.
The announcement comes after England players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were subjected to online abuse after missing penalties during the final of Euro 2020 on Sunday night.
Channel 4 has now confirmed the new documentary, Football Trolls, which has been in production for the last six months.
Jermaine, a former England international turned broadcaster, will discuss his own experiences of social media abuse.
He’s also interviewed Premier League players who have received racist messages online for the new film.
Jermaine said: ‘This film is incredibly important to me and something I’ve been working on for a while.
Gareth Southgate speaks to England’s midfielder Bukayo Saka after their loss in the UEFA EURO 2020 final (Picture: Laurence Griffiths / POOL / AFP)
‘There has been an ongoing conversation surrounding racism and football for as long as I can remember, and the reaction to the Euros has been heartbreaking.’
He added: ‘I’ve felt sick to my stomach reading the comments and chants and promise to make it my mission to help create positive change.’
The 38-year-old also said that social media platforms ‘have to hold these trolls accountable, we have to do better’.
Jermaine previously hosted documentary The Truth About Police Stop & Search (Photo: Visionhaus)
Louisa Compton, head of news, current affairs and sport at Channel 4, added: ‘In this timely, bold and much-needed film, Jermaine Jenas will tackle the issue head-on by confronting the people hiding behind their Twitter profiles and trying to get answers from the tech giants themselves.
‘This hard-hitting investigation is another example of Channel 4 examining the big issues that affect the UK.’
More: Jermaine Jenas
Jermaine slammed football fans for racially abusing England team players online on the One Show earlier this week.
Football Trolls is the most recent doc hosted by Jermaine tackling difficult themes, after the footballer-turned-broadcaster spent 12 months investigating the tactics used by police to ‘tackle violent crime’ for The Truth About Police Stop & Search, which aired on Channel 4.
Viewers were left appalled by the racism they witnessed during the programme.
A release date for Football Trolls has yet to be confirmed.
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