FIFA says 812 monitored World Cup figures faced discriminatory online abuse

FIFA says 812 of the 1,606 players, coaches and officials it monitored during the World Cup were targeted by discriminatory insults on social media. The figures, reported by the ANP news agency on Friday, mean more than half of those monitored were affected. FIFA said racism was the most common form of online hate it recorded. [1]

FIFA said its monitoring system counted more than 240,000 insulting comments. That total covers insults; it is not a stated count of discriminatory comments. The most-targeted player received more than 10,000 insulting messages, 40% of them racist, according to FIFA. It did not name the player. [1]

The ANP dispatch reports that 786 accounts were passed to police for further investigation. It is unclear what action, if any, police have taken. FIFA presented the figures ahead of World Mental Health Day on 10 October, warning that online hate can seriously affect the mental health of those targeted. [1]