European football governing body UEFA flagged 4,656 posts on social media that included offensive, racist or homophobic content during the Euro 2024 group stage, it said on Monday.
Posts were monitored on platforms such as X, Instagram and TikTok and were directed at players, coaches, officials and other participants in the tournament. Most of them (74%) were directed at individual players.
UEFA said that 71% of "these abusive posts have been actioned by the platforms."
Some 94% of flagged posts were for generalized abuse, which includes abuse which is not specifically targeted at a group or community, UEFA said. In addition to this, 4.5% featured racist abuse, and 1.5% featured homophobic content.
"We believe it is key to protect and support players, coaches, and referees in tackling their exposure to online abuse. They should be able to focus on their performance on the pitch, and not be weighed down by unacceptable abuse directed at them online," said Michele Uva, UEFA director of social and environmental sustainability.
At the women's Euro 2022, UEFA launched an online abuse programme, aiming "to monitor, report and remedy cases happening during all UEFA finals and final tournaments, including in the youth categories."
At Euro 2024, the programme is monitoring the 622 social media platforms and accounts of all those involved in the tournament. This includes players, coaches and participating national team accounts.
