FIFA strengthens measures against online abuse

FIFA enforces bans on serious abuse cases, barring them from future tournaments. (Photo: FIFA)

On this occasion, FIFA announced the upgrade of the Social Media Protection Service (SMPS) to protect players, teams, referees and member associations from the increasing risk of online abuse.

Since its launch in 2022, SMPS has detected and reported more than 65,000 malicious posts to social media platforms for review and removal, of which over 30,000 have been reported since the beginning of 2025.

Also this year, 11 individuals in Argentina, Brazil, France, Poland, Spain, the UK and the US were reported to law enforcement for abuse at FIFA tournaments; one case was referred to Interpol.

Relevant Member Associations are informed to take legal action at national level. Serious cases will result in being blacklisted from purchasing tickets to future FIFA events.

In 2025, FIFA deployed SMPS at several major tournaments, including the first FIFA Club World Cup in a new format. The system monitored 2,401 accounts belonging to players, coaches, teams and referees across five social media platforms, analysing 5.9 million posts. Of these, 179,517 were flagged for review and 20,587 were officially reported to the platforms for action.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: “Football must be a safe and inclusive environment on the pitch, in the stands and online. Through the Social Media Protection Service, advanced technology and human monitoring, FIFA is taking decisive action to protect players, coaches, teams and referees from the harmful effects of online abuse.”

Mr. Gianni Infantino emphasized that FIFA will continue to coordinate with member federations, continental federations and authorities to prevent violations.

The SMPS service is designed to protect individuals from racist, threatening, and hateful content during tournaments; and to prevent fans from being accidentally exposed to and normalizing negative behavior. The main functional groups of SMPS include:

- Monitor and detect offensive and hateful content.

- Report and help remove harmful content.

- Transfer serious cases to law enforcement agencies.

- Filter and block malicious messages before they reach the recipient.

- Collect data for disciplinary purposes and to enhance long-term protection mechanisms.

HUY AN

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