The FAF has decided to respond to a highly sensitive call from FIFA by featuring it on its website.
Hateful speeches and offensive posts can have serious consequences on the mental health and performance of players, as well as on their families. FIFA has committed to protecting players and making football a safe space. On the occasion of the International Day for Combatting Hate Speech on June 18, FIFA reiterated its commitment after making its social media moderation service available to its 211 member associations during the first part of the year.
This service, part of the No Discrimination campaign, is now accessible to federations outside FIFA competitions. Several teams currently participating in UEFA EURO 2024 and the Copa América 2024 of CONMEBOL have utilized it.
Once registered, the social media moderation service shields the accounts of players, coaches, officials, and teams from all forms of hate speech by hiding abusive comments. It also protects subscribers from exposure to insulting, discriminatory, or threatening posts, thereby preventing the normalization of such behaviors.
“On this International Day for Combatting Hate Speech, I want to emphasize that FIFA believes hate has no place in football. The social media moderation service is a valuable tool in our fight against such behaviors,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Since its introduction during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, this service has analyzed 30 million posts and comments regarding 3,381 players and 160 teams across 11 FIFA events. It has hidden 2.6 million abusive comments to protect their recipients. The most severe posts (30,883 cases in total) have been reported to platforms for sanctions, including account suspensions.
Prevention is part of an agreement protocol signed by FIFA and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, renewed in 2023. “Abuse, racism, and hate speech—online and offline—have no place in football or in life,” reminds Ghada Whaly, Executive Director of UNODC.
Last month, at the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok, Gianni Infantino called on FIFA’s 211 member associations to unite against racism. Their response was commensurate with the event. In Germany, the DFB, DFL, and DOSB partnered with law enforcement to combat online verbal abuse. In Belgium, the RBFA developed the “Come Together” action plan to fight online discrimination and racism.
In England, the Football Association funds a dedicated police unit to gather evidence for legal action against online verbal abuse during UEFA EURO 2024.
“Football unites the world, but the fight against racism and all forms of discrimination must also unite us,” says Gianni Infantino. The social media moderation service will be available at upcoming FIFA competitions, including the Olympic Football Tournaments, Paris 2024, the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2024™ in Colombia, and other major events.
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