According to a report published this Monday by the International Footballers’ Union FIFPro, one in five players attending the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand received discriminatory, offensive or even threatening messages on social networks.
According to a document from FIFPro and FIFA, the social media protection service operating at the last World Cup was able to protect almost 700 players and coaches by analyzing 5.1 million posts and comments in 35 different languages.
The promotion targeted social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter (now “X”) and YouTube, and featured the accounts of 29 referees.
A total of 152 players attending the tournament, which included Portugal, received offensive messages, with almost half of the messages being homophobic and sexual or sexist slurs.
Compared to participants in the 2022 Men’s World Cup, female players were 29% more likely to be abused at the 2023 World Cup, the report found.
FIFPro President David Aganzo stressed that “the toxic online environment is a place of risk for female footballers, which affects their mental health and well-being.”
The protection service, which was launched at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, is a response to a “sad reality”, FIFA noted, and was also used during the FIFA U-17 World Cup, the eighth competition in which it has been used.