FIFA holds Atlanta event on tackling hate speech in football

FIFA’s Social Media Protection Service has reviewed over 250 million posts since its launch

FILE PHOTO: Sep 17, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; General view of the Georgia state capitol building and the downtown Atlanta skyline. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE/File Photo

FIFA gathered players, policymakers and technology experts in Atlanta on Wednesday to discuss solutions to hate speech in football, on the eve of the International Day for Countering Hate Speech.

The event, co-hosted with TikTok and the City of Atlanta, highlighted world soccer's governing body's Social Media Protection Service, which has reviewed over 250 million posts since its launch and identified more than 30 million as harmful.

• Since Jun 11, the service has removed 388,000 harmful posts at World Cup 2026, surpassing the 287,000 removed throughout the entire 2022 tournament.

• Eleven individuals in seven countries were reported to law enforcement in 2025 for abuse during FIFA competitions, one case referred to Interpol, Reuters previously reported.

• Panellists included George Weah, former Liberian president and 1995 FIFA World Player of the Year, and former Nigerian international Mercy Akide.

• "Football is not just a game of chance, it's a game of unity," said Weah, FIFA Players' Voice Panel honorary captain.

• Held at Atlanta's National Center for Civil and Human Rights, ahead of the World Cup match between the Czech Republic and South Africa.