According to the Associated Press, FIFA and FIFPro have launched a service aimed at protecting World Cup players from social media abuse during the tournament.
FIFA announced on Wednesday that more than 830 players in Qatar have access to a “specialized monitoring, reporting and moderation service” designed to dispel hate speech against them.
The World Cup kicks off on Sunday, just days after Twitter fired a group of content moderators to track hate and try to enforce strict rules against malicious posts.
Twitter was not mentioned in a FIFA press release detailing the project, which was first announced in June and is being carried out in collaboration with the World Football Association, according to the Associated Press.
FIFA said the project will monitor the social media accounts of all World Cup participants and report discrimination and threats to “social media and law enforcement to take real action against those who break the rules.”
The extent of hate speech against footballers was detailed by FIFA in June, thanks to a study conducted last year at the later stages of the European Championship and the African Championship of Nations.
FIFA explained that half of these players have experienced some form of discriminatory treatment, mostly from their home country.
FIFA added at the time that “racist comments, especially against homosexuals, account for almost 80 per cent of violations.”
Spain striker Álvaro Morata has received threats online after missing a golden opportunity against Poland at last year’s European Championship, according to an Associated Press report.
Qatar is putting the finishing touches on hosting the World Cup starting next Sunday, when it is expected to host a total of tourists and fans, the equivalent of two-thirds of its population.
Qatar will host the world’s biggest football tournament from November 20 to December 18.
The hosting of the World Cup cost Doha billions of dollars as the highest cost of a World Cup, according to the Wall Street Journal, which points out that Qatar has “rebuilt the country” to host the sporting event, building huge stadiums, parks and major hotels, ships and trailers rehabilitated for accommodation of visitors, their number exceeds the number of available hotel rooms.
Despite huge infrastructure spending, the construction of seven huge stadiums and a new metro network, Qatar is expected to face pressure from hundreds of thousands of fans who will come to Qatar to support their countries, according to the Wall Street Journal.
According to the organizers, 2.9 million tickets out of 3.1 million were sold.
Qatari officials see the football competition, which features 32 teams, as an opportunity to highlight the capabilities of their country, which is one of the wealthiest countries, and give fans a new experience.
Qatar closed its borders to tourists during November to allow only fans with match tickets, as well as three of their families and friends, to enter the country and attend the tournament’s matches, which are organized for the first time in the fall to avoid the country’s high summer temperatures.
