Ghanaian duo Balotelli, Welbeck receive most social media abuse in English Premier League

Two top players of Ghanaian heritage in the English Premier League, Mario Barwuah Balotelli of Liverpool and Arsenal's Danny Nii Ayi Welbeck are the most abused players in the world's most popular league, a study has shockingly revealed.

Sport's Anti-discrimination group Kick It Out carried out a wide-ranging and important study on social media abuse, and produced the shocking results.

With most Premier League players, and all clubs now a presence on both Facebook and Twitter (plus Instagram), the level of abusive trolling has escalated in recent years.

The phenomenon of anonymously abusing people is one of the sad and depressing drawbacks to the generally positive soical media experience, and clubs are now having to put up with all kinds of hate, not just the players.

Kick It Out's study has unearthed 134,400 abusive posts directed at Premier League players and clubs this season, which equates t 1 abusive mention every 2.6 minutes.

Racism accounts for 28% of all abusive posts, so it's perhaps no surprise to learn that the two most targeted players, Mario Balotelli and Danny Welbeck, are also black, and hence from a racial minority group that it still depressingly prejudiced in the game.

50-52% of abusive posts aimed at both of those players are of racial nature, which again shows how linked racism is with online abuse.

Chelsea emerge as the most targetted club, closely followed by Liverpool.

Read the entire shocking study on the BBC .