Karen Carney: Chelsea and Football Association report abuse to police
- Published
The messages sent to Karen Carney were condemned on social media by England boss Phil Neville
The "abhorrent" rape and death threats sent to Karen Carney have been reported to police by the Football Association and Chelsea, says the England player.
Midfielder Carney, 31, received the messages on Instagram after Wednesday's Champions League win over Fiorentina.
The FA said it was "appalled" and "dismayed" by the abuse, while Instagram removed the user's account.
Carney said: "This kind of abuse is abhorrent, totally unacceptable and very upsetting."
Addressing the "vile messages aimed at myself and my team-mates on social media this week", the 133-times capped international added: "It was swiftly reported by the club as it standard practice.
"I now trust it will be dealt with by the correct authorities to ensure this doesn't happen again to either myself or anyone else.
"I would like to thank all those who have offered messages of support, including the fans, media and others within the game.
"I'd also like to thank Chelsea and the FA, who were swift to report those responsible to both Instagram and the police.
"I'd now like to concentrate on preparing for our game against Birmingham on Sunday."
Chelsea captain Carney, whose side are the defending Women's Super League champions, scored the winner as they secured a 1-0 first-leg win over Fiorentina.
The Blues' men's team boss Maurizio Sarri, who says he watched the victory over the Italian club, has called the abuse "totally unacceptable", adding: "She is a very good midfielder. What can I say about the situation? It's disgusting."
'More needs to be done'
In a bid to tackle social media abuse, the Government says it plans to publish a White Paper "setting out legislative and non-legislative measures to tackle online harms and set clear responsibilities for tech companies".
In a statement to ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sport, a Government spokesperson added: "Online harassment and intimidation is completely unacceptable and we've been clear more needs to be done to address harms occurring across a growing range of platforms."
On Thursday, the Metropolitan Police said it "takes allegations of threatening and abusive behaviour very seriously" and encourages any victims of such crimes to contact police so an investigation can be carried out.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Instagram told ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sport: "We do not tolerate threatening or abusive behaviour, and the account that sent these messages has been removed from Instagram."