FIFA says it has stepped up efforts against online abuse

FIFA said on Sunday it has stepped up efforts to tackle online abuse against players and officials, reporting an increase in harmful content and referring more offenders to police.

To mark the International Day for Tolerance, FIFA said its Social Media Protection Service (SMPS) has flagged more than 30,000 abusive posts on platforms since the start of the year, some of which have escalated since the tool was launched in 2022.

Eleven individuals in Argentina, Brazil, France, Poland, Spain, Britain and the United States were reported to law enforcement authorities for abuse during FIFA competitions in 2025, with one case referred to Interpol.

The relevant national associations were alerted to enable follow-up actions at local level.

FIFA said it was also blacklisting people responsible for «highly offensive behaviour», preventing them from buying tickets for future FIFA tournaments or events.

READ: England non-league clash abandoned after alleged sexist abuse towards referee

The SMPS has been used in several competitions this year, including the first 32-team Club World Cup in the United States.

During that tournament, the service monitored 2,401 active accounts across five platforms, analyzed 5.9 million posts, flagged 179,517 for review and reported 20,587 to the platforms.

“Football must be a safe and inclusive space – on the pitch, in the stands and online,” 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.”

The SMPS uses a mix of technology and human moderation to detect, filter and block racist, discriminatory or threatening messages, while protecting players’ followers from exposure to offensive content.

Published on November 16, 2025