The lack of respect is embarrassing.
(Reuters) - One in five players was the target of online abuse during the 2023 Women's World Cup, FIFA said on Monday, as a package of social media protection tools hid nearly 117,000 comments.
The Social Media Protection Service (SMPS), developed by the world governing body with players' union FIFPRO and launched in the 2022 men's World Cup, was offered to teams in the women's finals in Australia and New Zealand, FIFA said in June.
The tool, which has been used in eight FIFA tournaments in the last 12 months, monitors and moderates hate speech on social media, hiding harmful content from the players.
Players in this year's Women's World Cup were 29% more likely to be targeted with online abuse compared with players in last year's men's finals in Qatar, the FIFA report showed.
About 5.1 million posts and comments in 35 different languages were analyzed for abusive content, FIFA said, protecting 697 players and coaches actively using 2,111 accounts across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube.
More than 150 female players received targeted discriminatory, abusive, or threatening messages during the Australia and New Zealand tournament, where two teams—the United States and Argentina—stood out as key targets.
Homophobic, sexual, and sexist abuse accounted for almost 50% of detected abusive messages, FIFA added, and 116,800 comments were hidden across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube being junk, spam, discriminatory, abusive, or threatening.
The final, which saw Spain beat European Champion England 1-0, generated the largest spike of abusive content across the tournament, with more than 6,500 comments hidden by SMPS.
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"There can be no place on social media for those who abuse or threaten anyone, be that in FIFA tournaments or elsewhere," said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
FIFPRO president David Aganzo added: "The abuse that persists online impacts football players all over the world and it cannot be ignored."
"This toxic online environment is a risky place to be in for players and it affects their mental health and well-being. Football has a responsibility to protect the players around their workspace."
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The SMPS tool, which was also used in the 2023 Under-17 World Cup in Indonesia in November and December, uses artificial intelligence to protect the players and also stops their followers from being exposed to hate speech.