As the World Cup quarter-finals approach, experts warn that a surge in racist abuse against players reflects a deepening crisis fueled by divisive political rhetoric and social media inaction.
Alarming rise in online abuse
Data from Fifa's social media protection service shows a 13-fold increase in online abuse during the group stage compared to the previous tournament. Racially motivated abuse was the largest category, accounting for 11% of flagged posts, up from 8% during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. More than 100 posts were referred to law enforcement.
Samuel Okafor, chief executive of Kick It Out, said: “There’s a huge issue. The political climate that we’re facing is clearly finding its way into football. And it’s making a huge difference in the levels of abuse we’re seeing – people are certainly being emboldened now more than ever.” He added that social media firms remain largely unaccountable for discrimination on their platforms.
Players under attack
The global players' union Fifpro warned of a “growing pattern of abuse” and called for collective action. “In recent weeks, players have faced abuse online and in person, much of it racist and discriminatory. These incidents are not isolated; they point to a systemic pattern,” it said.
Incidents include the Dutch football association filing a complaint after players were targeted following a loss to Morocco, and a Paris prosecutor investigating an alleged racist attack on Kylian Mbappé by a Paraguayan senator. London mayor Sadiq Khan urged media regulator Ofcom to investigate online racism directed at England players.
Political context and normalization
Jacco van Sterkenburg, a professor studying racism in sports at Erasmus University, said political leaders expressing racist views have shifted societal norms. “Most people would dismiss explicit racism, but the more implicit, subtle forms of racism have become almost more acceptable. That subtle form of racism is the breeding ground for more explicit forms.”
Researchers note that racially coded language in football commentary—such as describing Black players in terms of athleticism rather than intelligence—creates a context where overt discrimination thrives.
Fifa's role under scrutiny
Human Rights Watch's Minky Worden linked the abuse to the US administration's xenophobic rhetoric and immigration crackdown. “If they’re deporting hundreds of thousands of people, often people of colour, then that is the backdrop for this World Cup. And it has to be affecting the uptick in racist attacks.”
Worden criticized Fifa for partnering with the Trump administration, including naming Donald Trump the first winner of the Fifa peace prize. “Fifa’s failure to implement its own rules on non-discrimination in Russia, Qatar, and the United States has absolutely sent a green light to communities of hate that it will be OK to attack players.”
