Last Updated:November 16, 2025, 16:55 IST
Eleven individuals from Argentina, Brazil, France, Poland, Spain, Britain, and USA have been reported to law enforcement authorities in 2025 for abuse during FIFA competitions.
FIFA. (AFP Photo)
FIFA announced that it has intensified efforts to combat online abuse targeting players and officials, noting a significant increase in harmful content and referring more offenders to law enforcement on Sunday.
To mark the International Day for Tolerance, FIFA revealed that its Social Media Protection Service (SMPS) has flagged over 30,000 abusive posts to platforms since the beginning of the year, contributing to a total of more than 65,000 since the tool’s launch in 2022.
Eleven individuals from Argentina, Brazil, France, Poland, Spain, Britain, and the United States have been reported to law enforcement authorities in 2025 for abuse during FIFA competitions, with one case referred to Interpol.
The relevant national associations were notified to enable follow-up actions at the local level.
FIFA also announced it is blacklisting individuals identified as responsible for “highly abusive behaviour,” preventing them from purchasing tickets for future FIFA tournaments or events.
The SMPS was deployed at several competitions this year, including the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup in the United States.
During that tournament, the service monitored 2,401 active accounts across five platforms, analysed 5.9 million posts, flagged 179,517 for review, and reported 20,587 to the platforms.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino stated that football must be a safe and inclusive space, both on the pitch and online. He emphasised that abuse has no place in the game and committed to working with Member Associations, confederations, and law enforcement to hold offenders accountable.
The SMPS employs a combination of technology and human moderation to detect, filter, and block racist, discriminatory, or threatening messages, while also protecting players’ followers from exposure to abusive content.
First Published:
November 16, 2025, 16:55 IST
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