‘Really ugly’ abuse affects players – Wales’ Cain

‘Really ugly’ abuse affects players – Wales’ CainImage source, FAWImage caption, Hannah Cain has scored five goals in 22 Wales appearancesByGareth VincentBBC Sport WalesPublished37 minutes agoWales international Hannah Cain says the mental health of female players can be affected by “really ugly” social media abuse.Leicester City forward Cain is with the Wales squad preparing for next Tuesday’s opening Women’s World Cup qualifying game against the Czech Republic.Earlier this season, the 27-year-old posted on social media that “enough is enough” following abuse from people “hiding behind a keyboard”.Cain has now explained that “abusive messages after pretty much every game” for her club prompted her to speak out.”I think over the years as the women’s game has grown, it’s opened up more of a platform for people to have their opinion and share their voices,” Cain stated.”I think unfortunately social media has become a place where people can say whatever they want whether it’s good, bad, ugly and sometimes the ugly is really ugly.”Former Everton player Cain has been at Leicester since 2020.The Foxes are in the midst of a difficult season, with Rick Passmoor’s team currently bottom of the Women’s Super League (WSL).Cain posted about the abuse in November, when Leicester suffered heavy defeats against Brighton and Arsenal.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Hannah Cain is in her fifth WSL season with Leicester having helped the club reach the top flight in 2020-21 Racism, rape and death threats: One weekend of social media abuse in football