FIFA uncovers over 65,000 abusive football posts , football must be safe says Infantino
To mark the International Day for Tolerance, FIFA has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting respect and inclusion by issuing a reminder that hate and discrimination have no place in football.
As part of its efforts in this area, FIFA said it has enhanced its Social Media Protection Service (SMPS), which is available to all players, teams and officials at FIFA tournaments, as well as to FIFA Member Associations (MAs), all year round.
Since the launch of the SMPS in 2022, more than 65,000 abusive posts have been reported to social media platforms for review and removal, including over 30,000 since the start of this year. FIFA said.
PALERMO, ITALY – MARCH 24: Fans of Italy hold smartphones as the team of Italy arrives at the stadium prior to the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier knockout round play-off match between Italy and North Macedonia at Renzo Barbera Stadium in Palermo, Italy.
Since the beginning of this year, 11 individuals have been reported to global law enforcement authorities in Argentina, Brazil, France, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States following abuse during FIFA competitions, and one case was submitted to Interpol. The relevant FIFA MAs have been informed of these incidents to enable them to take any necessary action at a local level.
In addition, for all identified cases, FIFA is blacklisting individuals responsible for highly abusive behaviour, aiming at preventing them from purchasing tickets for any future FIFA tournaments or events.
The SMPS has been implemented at a number of competitions this year, including the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup™, where the service ensured that all 32 teams, which featured players of 72 nationalities, involved in the global showpiece on American soil were protected by proactive monitoring that detected and reported any violent, threatening or discriminatory content. During the tournament, SMPS monitored 2,401 active accounts across five social media platforms covering players, coaches, teams and match officials participating at the groundbreaking tournament, with 5.9 million posts analysed, 179,517 flagged for review and 20,587 reported to the relevant platforms
“On the International Day for Tolerance, I want to make it abundantly clear that football must be a safe and inclusive space – on the pitch, in the stands and online. Through the FIFA Social Media Protection Service and by deploying advanced technology and human expertise, FIFA is taking decisive action to protect players, coaches, teams, and match officials from the serious harm that online abuse causes,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“Our message is clear: abuse has no place in our game, and we will continue to work with our Member Associations, the confederations and law enforcement authorities to hold offenders accountable.
“This behaviour has no place in football or in society and FIFA is taking all possible steps by reporting these incidents and also by blacklisting individuals from purchasing tickets for FIFA tournaments.”
The FIFA SMPS is designed to protect individuals from online abuse, particularly racist, discriminatory or threatening messages that may be sent during major competitions. It also stops the account holders’ followers from being exposed to abusive, discriminatory and threatening posts, thereby preventing the normalisation of these kinds of actions.
FIFA Social Media Protection Service includes , monitors for abusive or hateful content directed at players, coaches, teams and match officials, reports and helps remove harmful content from platforms
The service help to escalates the most egregious abuse for law enforcement action, filters and blocks abusive messages before they reach the intended recipient, adding that it collects data to support disciplinary action and improve safeguarding against online hate in the long term
