Players who suffer serious discriminatory abuse online will be able to report it via a new system launched by the Premier League.

The system will also be open to coaches, managers and family members of such individuals.

Racist abuse of current and former professionals has been sadly prevalent in recent years, with former Arsenal and England forward Ian Wright sharing some of the comments aimed at him recently.

A number of Watford players received racist abuse online following their FA Cup semi-final win over Wolverhampton Wanderers last season.

In the wake of that, the club unveiled its own 'We Campaign' to try and combat racist abuse themselves.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: "Online discriminatory abuse is unacceptable in any walk of life and tackling this issue must be a priority. There are too many instances of footballers and their families receiving appalling discriminatory messages; nobody should have to deal with this.

"Our central reporting system has been developed to provide a rapid response and support for any players, managers and coaches who have been victims of serious online discrimination, whether targeted at themselves or family members. Our commitment is to review each case and to take immediate follow-up action."