Fifa has announced strengthened measures to combat online abuse targeting players and officials, following a significant rise in harmful content and an increased number of cases being referred to law-enforcement agencies.
Marking the International Day for Tolerance on 16 November, the governing body confirmed that its Social Media Protection Service (SMPS) has flagged more than 30,000 abusive posts to social-media platforms since the start of 2025. Since the tool’s introduction in 2022, over 65,000 posts have been escalated.
More offenders reported to police
In 2025, eleven individuals from Argentina, Brazil, France, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States have been reported to national authorities for online abuse during FIFA competitions. One case has been forwarded to Interpol.
FIFA has also notified the relevant football associations so that additional action can be taken locally.
Blacklisting abusive users
FIFA confirmed that people identified as responsible for “highly abusive behaviour” are being blacklisted, blocking them from buying tickets for future FIFA tournaments and events.
Monitoring at major tournaments
The SMPS has been deployed at several competitions this year, including the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup in the United States.
During that event, the system monitored 2,401 active accounts across five platforms, analysed 5.9 million posts, flagged 179,517 for review, and reported 20,587 posts to social-media companies.
FIFA president calls for safer digital spaces
“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 working with our Member Associations, the confederations and law-enforcement authorities to hold offenders accountable.”
The SMPS combines automated technology with human moderation to detect, filter and block racist, discriminatory or threatening messages and to shield players’ followers from abusive content.
