- FIFA's social media moderation service is now available to all 211 FIFA member associations and their teams
- Players, coaches, officials and teams participating in UEFA EURO 2024 and the CONMEBOL Copa América can benefit from this protection against online verbal abuse
- The next step will be to ensure that prosecutions against cybercriminals are strengthened
Hate speech and offensive posts can have serious consequences on the mental health and performance of players, but also on their friends and family. FIFA's mission is to protect players, but also to make football a secure space. On the occasion of the International Day Against Hate Speech, June 18, FIFA reiterates its commitment, after making its moderation service on social networks available to its 211 member associations during the first part of the year.
This service, which is part of the No Discrimination campaign, is now accessible to federations outside of FIFA competitions. Several teams currently participating in UEFA EURO 2024 and the CONMEBOL Copa América 2024 have called upon it.
Once registration is complete, the social media moderation service protects the accounts of players, coaches, officials and teams against all forms of hate speech, by hiding offensive comments. It also protects the subscribers of these accounts against the risks of exposure to insulting, discriminatory or threatening publications and thus prevents the normalization of these behaviors.
“On this International Day Against Hate Speech, I would like to remind you that FIFA considers that hatred has no place in football. The social media moderation service is a valuable tool in our fight against such behavior,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“This service has proven its effectiveness during FIFA competitions. It therefore made sense for us to make it available to all of our 211 member associations, whatever the circumstances. In the face of verbal violence, we must protect players, coaches, officials, teams and their subscribers. »
Since its introduction during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, the social media moderation service has analyzed 30 million posts and comments from 3 players and 381 teams across 160 FIFA events (competitions, qualifications and friendly matches). He thus hidden 11 million offensive comments, in order to protect their recipients.
The most violent publications (30 cases in total) were reported to the platforms with a view to concrete sanctions, in particular the suspension of the accounts concerned. To effectively combat online verbal violence, it is now essential to strengthen the links between football and the different legal systems on which the federations depend.
Prevention is part of a memorandum of understanding signed by FIFA and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The latter was renewed in 2023. “Abuse, racism and hate speech – online and offline – have no place in football or in life,” recalls Ghada Whaly, Executive Director of the UNODC. “They tarnish the integrity of the sport and affect the mental well-being of players, coaches and officials. We must ensure that football remains a safe and inclusive space for all, particularly women and girls who are at greater risk of gender-based violence. I welcome the position taken by FIFA to combat online abuse and racism. UNODC is committed to eradicating all forms of discrimination in sport for a more peaceful world. Together, let's preserve fundamental values such as sportsmanship and respect, so that everyone can enjoy football and life free from harassment, abuse and discrimination. »
Last month, on the occasion of 74e FIFA Congress in Bangkok (Thailand), Gianni Infantino called on FIFA's 211 member associations to unite against racism. Their response lived up to the event.
The German Football Association (DFB), the German Professional Football League (DFL) and the German Olympic Federation (DOSB) have joined forces with law enforcement to tackle verbal abuse online. The Royal Belgian Union of Football Association Companies (RBFA), which uses its own moderation service on social networks for its accounts, the Pro League, the Association of Francophone Football Clubs and Voetbal Vlaanderen have developed a plan to action called “ Come Together » to fight against discrimination and racism in Belgium and more particularly against online verbal violence.
The English Football Association has, for its part, announced the funding of a police unit responsible for collecting evidence in connection with online verbal abuse against England team players during the UEFA EURO 2024, with a view to legal proceedings.
“Football unites the world, but the fight against racism and all forms of discrimination must also unite us,” believes Gianni Infantino. “The position taken by the FIFA Congress against racism is a strong message. With the help of law enforcement and some tools, like the social media moderation service, we can win. »
The social media moderation service will also be available during upcoming FIFA competitions: Olympic Football Tournaments, Paris 2024, FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup 2024™ in Colombia, FIFA Futsal World Cup 2024™ in Uzbekistan and the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™ in the Dominican Republic.
