Izuchukwu Okosi
More than half the players who played in the most recent Euro 2020 and AFCON finals were abused online before, during and after the game, according to the studies of a shocking report released by FIFA on Saturday.
Homophobic abuse was the most common, with racism second, and though world football’s governing body are not naming names, Sky Sports News understands the most abused players in the Euro 2020 final were Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, who both missed from the spot as England lost to Italy on penalties at Wembley last July.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelIn both tournaments, most of the abuse originated from the home (adopted) nation of the players being targeted – 38 per cent from the UK and 19 per cent from Egypt after they were also beaten on penalties by Senegal in February’s AFCON final.
Arsenal’s forward Bukayo Saka whose parents are from the Yoruba speaking tribe of Nigeria but born and raised in England was told by the English fans to “go back to Nigeria” with threats to his life and that of his family members.
As a result, FIFA are setting up a dedicated moderation service during this winter’s World Cup, which takes place in November and December in Qatar, which will make abuse less visible online.
Homophobic slurs were the most common form of detected abuse (40 per cent), with racism second (38 per cent).
Anti-black racism made up 76 per cent of abuse in the Euro 2020 final. But prior to the penalties, racist abuse had been relatively low, with homophobia more prevalent before and during the game.
The reports states that this has been observed in other studies across several sports. It says: “Racism often picks its moment and is unleashed after a trigger. This means that a tournament or match with relatively low abuse levels can become a flashpoint at any moment.”
Islamophobia was more prevalent surrounding the AFCON Final with 33 instances.
In response, FIFA and FIFPRO say they will launch a dedicated in-tournament moderation service across men’s and women’s football “that will scan recognised hate speech terms published to identified social media accounts, and once detected, prevent that comment from being seen by the recipient and their followers.”
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
