Lauren James: Man Utd boss Casey Stoney praises striker for response to racism
- Published
Lauren James has made seven appearances in the Women's Super League for Manchester United this season
Manchester United boss Casey Stoney says she is proud of her striker Lauren James for speaking out after she received racist abuse on social media.
James, 19, became the latest player to be sent abuse online, with fellow United players Axel Tuanzebe and Marcus Rashford also being targeted.
In an Instagram post,, external James said she "couldn't stay quiet any longer".
"To be able to stand up and say 'I'm not accepting this, I'm going to call it out', is brave," Stoney said.
Manchester United forward James said in her post: "Unfortunately it's not the first time and won't be the last, but we don't have to just accept it.
"We have to continue to shout and make a noise until actual actions take place."
Stoney 'really proud' of James for standing up against racist abuse
The FA says it stood by James as well as all victims of abuse, saying it is "time to change" and asking the government to "act quickly" to bring in legislation "so that this abuse has real-life consequences".
"She shouldn't have to go through it," added Stoney. "I just genuinely cannot understand how we can abuse a 19-year-old because of the colour of their skin. It's a sad time.
"Until the government, until Instagram, until Twitter, until these people in high-profile positions do something about it, it's not going to change. It's over to them.
"I'm really proud of her for standing up, speaking out and reaching out."
James' brother, Chelsea defender Reece, has also experienced online abuse in addition to his team-mate Antonio Rudiger.
Both Facebook, which owns Instagram, and Twitter say they are committed to eradicating abuse on their platforms.
The UK government has, however, threatened social media companies with "large fines" which could amount to "billions of pounds" if they fail to tackle abuse.
"It's hard for me to comprehend, sitting here as a white person, in terms of being able to understand what she lives through every single day and what she has experienced growing up. It's disgusting. It's utterly disgusting," Stoney told BBC Radio Manchester.
"I think the government and the powers-that-be need to do so much more to govern these social media platforms.
"When a player comes to me and says 'it's kind of water off a duck's back', that is gut-wrenching for me that she has to face that and it's normal. I just cannot get my head around it. It does upset me quite a lot."
Boxing With The Mob: What role has an alleged drugs boss had in arranging Britain's biggest ever bout?
Katie Price: Harvey And Me: A deeply personal film following Katie Price and her son Harvey as he enters adulthood
