#STOPONLINEABUSE: united social media boycott

Jonas Baer-Hoffmann, FIFPRO General Secretary, said: “Before Covid-19, discriminatory abuse against players on the pitch was a weekly occurrence in stadia across Europe and beyond. It appears that as stadiums and the world began to go into lockdown, a rising wave of abhorrent online abuse and hate speech emerged on social media platforms. The players have had enough. These platforms are making substantial revenues off of the presence of players and other entertainers – that comes with a responsibility not only to our members but to make social media a safe space for all users.”

“We will be standing in silence during this protest alongside our members but this is only one piece of the puzzle of our ongoing actions to finally tackle racism in football – whether online, in stadia or embedded in the game’s structures – with the attention and severity that it has required for a long time.”