Monitor and moderate hate speech directed at footballers on social media through a dedicated protection service. Here is FIFA and FIFPRO’s initiative for the World Cup, which opens in Qatar on Sunday 20 November. The 32 competing teams, their players and all other participants can register for this moderation service. It plans to monitor recipient accounts and identify offensive, discriminatory or threatening comments.
The messages in question will be reported to the platforms and authorities so that measures can be taken against their authors, mention the two federations. The service will also instantly hide offensive comments on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, making them invisible to the account owner and other followers. “ Their mental health and well-being is at risk», FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.
Rise in online insults
And for good reasons. few international footballers have already borne the brunt of online harassment like former Brazilian footballer Willian Borges da Silva. In 2021, this 34-year-old player decides to leave the English “Arsenal”, where he plays, to return to Brazil in his coaching club, “Corinthians” of Sao Paulo.
For several months, she endured a wave of online hate that affected her family as well.It was very difficult to live. My family has been greatly affected by the attacks of these people on social media. They did not hesitate to attack my daughters“, the player testified in an interview with FIFA. “Sometimes you don’t want to play anymore because you tell yourself if I play badly tonight, they will come after me and my loved ones again. I think they forget that we, football players, are people.»
The launch of this service follows the publication last June of two independent reports commissioned by FIFA and FIFPRO. Studies based on Euro 2021 and the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations show a significant increase in the number of insults directed at football players during international competitions on social media. Homophobic comments account for 40% of cases, racist comments for 38%, FIFA and FIFPRO said in a press release.
Source: Le Figaro
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