On the United Nations International Day for Countering Hate Speech on June 18th, FIFA released a report into the levels of online abuse aimed at participants during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.
This was based on findings from its social media protection service tool.
The report is published days after FIFA President Gianni Infantino met with Vinícius Júnior – the victim of several shocking racism incidents while playing for his club this season – to discuss how football responds to discriminatory issues.
“Discrimination is a criminal act. With the help of this tool, we are identifying the perpetrators and we are reporting them to the authorities so that they are punished for their actions,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“We also expect the social media platforms to accept their responsibilities and to support us in the fight against all forms of discrimination. Our position is clear: we say no to discrimination.”
FIFPRO President David Aganzo added: “The figures and findings in this report do not come as a surprise, but they are still massively concerning. They represent a strong reminder for everyone involved in our game, and it must lead to providing preventative measures and solutions for players who are increasingly facing this type of abuse.
“Football has a responsibility to protect the players and other affected groups around their workspace. Therefore, FIFPRO and FIFA will continue their collaboration and provide the same service at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
“But we cannot do this alone – we need all stakeholders to play their part if we want to create a safer and better environment for football.”
One year ago, FIFA announced that it had joined forces with FIFPRO – the worldwide representative organisation for professional footballers – to coordinate and implement a plan on how to protect participating teams, players, officials and supporters from abuse on social media during its international tournaments.
As a result of that commitment, which was made on the back of independent research into the levels of online abuse at two previous international tournaments (UEFA EURO 2020 and CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2021), FIFA and FIFPRO established the Social Media Protection Service (SMPS) – a package of tools designed to protect participants at FIFA events.