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FIFA Steps Up Online Abuse Crackdown With Police Referrals and Ticket Bans

FIFA says its monitoring program now turns online abuse findings into real-world consequences.

Overview

  • The Social Media Protection Service has flagged more than 30,000 abusive posts in 2025 and over 65,000 since its 2022 launch.
  • Eleven alleged offenders in Argentina, Brazil, France, Poland, Spain, the UK and the US were reported to law enforcement this year, with one case sent to Interpol.
  • FIFA is blacklisting people identified for highly abusive behavior, preventing them from purchasing tickets for future tournaments.
  • During the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup in the United States, the system monitored 2,401 accounts, analyzed 5.9 million posts, flagged 179,517 for review and reported 20,587 to platforms.
  • The service blends automated detection with human moderation, and FIFA has notified national associations to enable local follow-up.