(Reuters) – UEFA is to launch a programme to fight online racist abuse of footballers by working with social media firms to take away dangerous content material from platforms and elevating consciousness, it mentioned on Sunday.
Europe’s soccer governing physique added that the programme, which can begin on the July 6-31 Women’s European Championship, will work to “actively monitor, report and treatment” instances of online abuse.
England’s Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka had been the targets of online racist abuse after they missed penalties in a 3-2 shootout loss to Italy in final yr’s European Championship remaining.
A report revealed by FIFA final month revealed that greater than half of players ultimately yr’s European Championship and Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) had been subjected to discriminatory abuse online.
“The respect programme targets concrete actions to forestall abusive online behaviour and discrimination throughout all of its remaining competitions, together with youth, girls’s and males’s competitors remaining matches for the following three years,” UEFA mentioned in an announcement.
“To be sure that dangerous content material is eliminated, UEFA is working instantly with main social media platforms resembling Twitter, Meta (Instagram and Facebook) and TikTookay.”
The programme will embody a “Real Scars” marketing campaign that includes footballers Wendie Renard, Jorginho and Alisha Lehmann.
That will “spotlight the devastating results of online abuse” and educate players, coaches and officers on easy methods to defend themselves.
“When you say one thing on social media, you don’t realise how painful it’s or the implications it may have,” Renard mentioned.
“It can go away a mark as a result of we’re all human, all of us have feelings.”
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru, modifying by Ed Osmond)
