FIFA has reported more than 30,000 abusive posts to social media platforms this year, with 11 individuals referred to law enforcement authorities across several countries. One case was submitted to Interpol following abuse during FIFA competitions. The governing body emphasized its commitment to creating a safe and inclusive environment in football.
World football's governing body FIFA announced on the International Day for Tolerance that it has taken significant steps to combat online abuse. In a report, FIFA detailed reporting more than 30,000 abusive posts to social media platforms in 2025 alone. Since launching the Social Media Protection Service (SMPS) in 2022 in partnership with players' union Fifpro, over 65,000 such posts have been flagged for review and removal.
The SMPS employs advanced technology and human expertise to monitor and block harmful content targeting players, coaches, teams, and match officials. FIFA president Gianni Infantino stated: "On the International Day for Tolerance, I want to make it abundantly clear that football must be a safe and inclusive space - on the pitch, in the stands and online." He added: "Through the FIFA social media protection service (SMPS) and by deploying advanced technology and human expertise, FIFA is taking decisive action to protect players, coaches, teams, and match officials from the serious harm that online abuse causes."
This year, 11 individuals from Argentina, Brazil, France, Poland, Spain, the UK, and the US were reported to law enforcement for abuse linked to FIFA competitions, with one case escalated to Interpol. Offenders identified for particularly harmful behavior have been blacklisted, preventing them from purchasing tickets for FIFA events.
During the Club World Cup held in the US this summer, SMPS monitored 2,401 active accounts across five platforms, analyzing 5.9 million posts. This resulted in 179,517 posts flagged for review and 20,587 reported to platforms. Although FIFA faced criticism for appearing to drop anti-racism messaging at the tournament, the service was actively deployed.
Infantino reiterated: "Our message is clear: abuse has no place in our game, and we will continue to work with our member associations, the confederations and law enforcement authorities to hold offenders accountable. This behaviour has no place in football or in society and FIFA is taking all possible steps by reporting these incidents and also by blacklisting individuals from purchasing tickets for FIFA tournaments."