Almost 20,000 abusive social media posts were aimed at players, coaches and officials during last year’s World Cup, says a Fifa report.
Of 20 million posts scanned by moderation software developed by Fifa and players’ union Fifpro, 286,895 were hidden from public view.
The biggest spike in abuse came after England’s quarter-final loss to France, when Harry Kane missed a late penalty.
“The figures and findings in this report do not come as a surprise, but they are still massively concerning,” said Fifpro president David Aganzo.
“They represent a strong reminder for everyone involved in our game, and it must lead to providing preventative measures and solutions for players who are increasingly facing this type of abuse.”
The report, released on Sunday, said more than 300 people have been identified and their details will be shared with authorities “to facilitate real-world action being taken”.
It said 38% of identifiable abuse came from accounts based in Europe and 36% from…
