Manchester City release statement after Kyle Walker was subjected to racist abuse on social media after Juventus loss
Manchester City has released a statement after Kyle Walker was racially abused on social media following the side's 0-2 loss to Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday, December 11. The club condemned the act and offered support to the England international.
Walker, 34, disclosed on X that he received racist abuse on Instagram after the loss to the Italian giants. He called on the social media platform and authorities to take action for the sake of all victims of online racism.
"No one should ever be subject to the sort of vile, racist and threatening abuse I have received online since last night's match. Instagram and the authorities need to stop this happening for the sake of all who are suffering this abuse. It is never acceptable," Walker wrote on X.
"To our fans, we will continue to work as a team to do better, to improve, and to turn the corner together," he added.
Manchester City in turn showed support for their player by releasing a statement on the club's website. It read (via ESPN):
"Manchester City strongly condemns the racist abuse that Kyle Walker was subject to online following last night's fixture. We refuse to tolerate discrimination of any kind, regardless of whether that be in stadiums or online. We will be offering Kyle our full support following the disgusting treatment he has received."
Pep Guardiola's side are going through a rough patch at the moment. They have managed to win just one of their last 10 games across competitions. Walker has made 14 appearances across competitions this season and captained the side against Juventus.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola identifies 24-year-old Juventus star as Kyle Walker's replacement
According to a report by Football365, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has identified Andrea Cambiaso as a likely replacement for Kyle Walker. The English left-back is 34 and no longer as productive as he used to be.
As such, Guardiola is looking toward the future and has his eyes on Cambiaso as a target. The 24-year-old joined Juventus in 2022 from Genoa but was subsequently sent to Bologna on a season-long loan deal. He returned to his parent club in the 2023-24 season and has since racked up 59 appearances for the Old Lady, recording five goals and eight assists.
The report adds that Manchester City are also monitoring Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Rayan Ait-Nouri as other left-back alternatives.