Rio Ferdinand claims that not enough is being done to put an end to trolling on social media sites, adding that racially motivated abuse is still prevalent.
The former England captain thinks that the storm of racial abuse on social media may drive players to be more concerned with the online consequences of their mistakes than the game itself.
He noted that part of the problem is that those in positions of power to effect change “don’t feel that discrimination” and don’t understand what it’s like to be the victim of racial abuse.
Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka were subjected to a barrage of abuse after missing penalties in England’s Euro 2020 shootout defeat at London’s Wembley Stadium on July 11.
The following month, British police announced that 11 people had been arrested in connection with online racial abuse directed at England football players following their team’s loss to Italy in the European Championship final.
Today I’m launching an important campaign called ‘Blow The Whistle’ with Zoe Kalar, Founder and CEO of WeAre8. Ahead of the Euros, ‘Blow the Whistle’ empowers people to take a stand against racism in football, both on and off the pitch. Through WeAre8’s technology and… pic.twitter.com/MzrIOdwjq8
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) April 25, 2024
Ferdinand was speaking at an event held by WeAre8, a “revolutionary social media platform”.
On Wednesday in London, they launched Blow The Whistle, a campaign to raise awareness about the frequency of racial abuse in football and its impact on players, fans, communities, and the sport as a whole, from the England squad to local grassroots teams.It will enable the globe to stand together in a safe social environment and say no to racism.”
“With WeAre8’s unique application of validated identity and recognition / AI infrastructure, players, fans and families now have a safe social alternative where anonymous accounts are not accepted and directed hate isn’t tolerated. With the tech framework in place, players and fans can feel free to express their biggest selves without fear of negativity and abuse. ”
“And through WeAre8’s centralized wallet, people can pay their earnings from watching ads forward to communities they care about. This campaign is backing Common Goal’s ‘Anti-Racist Project’ – which supports training, community competitions and advocacy projects aimed at combating racism in football.”
In September 2023, British MPs passed an ambitious internet safety bill with broad enforcement powers against digital and social media firms such as TikTok, Google, Facebook, and Instagram parent Meta.
The Online Safety Act requires social media platforms to remove illegal information such as child sexual abuse, hate speech and terrorism, revenge pornography, and posts encouraging self-harm. They will also have to prevent such content from emerging in the first place and provide users more control, including the ability to block anonymous trolls.
Today's @IWFhotline report shows how far predators are willing to go to exploit children as young as three.
That is why our Online Safety Act will mandate companies to step up and keep children safe online. pic.twitter.com/GCLhvNRoq5
— Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) April 23, 2024