The English Football League are expected to push their respect campaign on each side they govern at an upcoming summit in Portugal, after a spate of incidents where football clubs have used social media to poke fun at their rivals.
The EFL had already reminded clubs that they are not permitted to target referees and other officials on their social accounts, and are now looking to stamp out what the Daily Mail call ‘childish point-scoring and name calling’.
This comes after the official Leeds United Twitter account poked fun at Derby County supporter Niall Horan following the Rams’ Play-Off Final defeat to Aston Villa, after the former One Direction member mocked the Whites for having fewer Wembley appearances than he and Frank Lampard’s men had managed in the past twelve years.
It was the latest in a string of jibes between Horan and the club’s account, who had previously come to blows when the 25-year-old claimed ‘no one likes Leeds’, to which the club’s social media manager replied ‘no one likes your solo career’.
The Daily Mail also note another more-recent incident between English sides using Twitter to poke fun at each other, after the official Newcastle United account congratulated Charlton Athletic for beating Sunderland in the League One Play-Off Final as the Addicks are managed by former Whites and Magpies midfielder Lee Bowyer.
It is now thought the EFL will use their summit in Portugal later this week to remind the side’s they govern of their respect campaign, in a bid to bring a halt to the ‘childish point-scoring’ ahead of the new campaign.