Overview

• The Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) has denounced a 'beispiellose Hetzkampagne' targeting an unnamed referee, involving personal threats and public exposure of private data.
• The ÖFB, in collaboration with the Interior Ministry, has filed a formal police complaint to address the coordinated online harassment.
• The campaign included the publication of the referee's personal details, such as his home address, and incitement to violence against him.
• The referee’s family has faced threats and insults, and his professional career has suffered significant damage as a result of the attacks.
• ÖFB Secretary General Thomas Hollerer and the Austrian Bundesliga have urged the football community to unite against such abuse and pledged to pursue all legal measures to hold perpetrators accountable.