Football clubs, players and sponsors will take some time off social media in order to raise awareness in helping to eradicate online abuse.
The blackout will start at 3pm 30 April and will end on 11:59am 3 May.
MansionBet and Smarkets will join footballing bodies like the FA, UEFA and Premier league in their fight to combat racial hate online.
MansionBet has strong ties with football clubs like Bristol City, Newcastle United and Millwall FC, so the group has decided to support its partners. Meanwhile, Smarkets has a similar relationship as the company often works with sporting brands.
A tweet from MansionBet outlined the group’s decision to take part. The company said it will join the “planned social media boycott this weekend in a show of solidarity against racism and online abuse.”
Head of integrated marketing at MansionBet, Dana Bocker added: “We stand with our partners and all football leagues in their continued fight against racism. As a mark of respect for the clubs we sponsor and their players, we are proud to join in this movement.”
Similarly, Smarkets also took to Twitter to announce its participation. The company said all of its social media accounts will remain inactive until 3pm Tuesday.
In a statement, Smarkets said: “Racism and online abuse have no place in our society. Smarkets fully supports and will be participating in the sporting social media boycott beginning at 3pm on Friday 30 April and ending at 11:59pm on Monday 3 May. We stand in solidarity with those affected. This is a crucial issue that requires real engagement from social media companies who must do more to tackle the unacceptable abuse on their platforms.”
