African Football Legends Join Forces to Combat Hate Speech in Sport
On June 18, former Liberian president and football icon George Weah teamed up with former Nigerian star Mercy Akide for a panel discussion at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia. The event marked the International Day to Combat Hate Speech and brought together representatives from FIFA, TikTok, and the City of Atlanta to discuss concrete steps toward a safer online environment for players, officials, and fans.
Panel Highlights and Key Messages
Weah opened the conversation by reminding attendees that “everyone makes mistakes,” a sentiment aimed at curbing the growing trend of online attacks on referees during the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He stressed that football should be a unifying force, not a platform for hatred.
Akide shared her own painful experiences, recalling being called racial slurs and told to “get on the ship that brought me here to America.” She noted that hearing such remarks in person, rather than only in historical accounts, underscores how deeply ingrained prejudice remains in certain generations.
Bafana Bafana captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams also contributed, stating that the abuse players receive online when results do not go their way has not diminished over time and urging fans to stop the harassment.
FIFA’s Social Media Protection Service in Action
The discussion featured a presentation from FIFA’s Social Media Protection Service (SMPS), which revealed that since its launch following the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the team has reviewed more than 250 million social media comments and posts. Of those, over 30 million were identified as harmful and subsequently removed.
SMPS operates in real time, using a combination of automated tools and human analysts to monitor platforms such as Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook during FIFA tournaments and related events. The service aims to shield athletes, match officials, and team staff from hate speech, threats, and discriminatory content.
Personal Reflections and Calls for Continued Action
Both Weah and Akide emphasized that combating hate speech requires more than just removing offensive content; it demands education and cultural change.
“Football is a game of peace, a game of unity. If we allow these things to falter, the beautiful game will be destroyed. That’s why we fight. We try to educate young people so that they grow up to be loving people, not just people who love the game.”
— George Weah
Akide echoed this sentiment, saying the panel gave her renewed motivation to advocate for broader societal change.
“It makes me sick to see people hate other people. There’s no better time for that than this. It gave me strength to hear that we need to get everyone together and do this.”
— Mercy Akide
Looking Forward
Participants agreed that sustained collaboration among football governing bodies, social media platforms, civil society organizations, and local governments is essential. The Atlanta event served as a reminder that while technology can help detect and remove harmful content, the ultimate solution lies in fostering respect and empathy both on and off the pitch.
- FIFA’s SMPS continues to expand its monitoring capacity for upcoming tournaments.
- Educational programs targeting youth fans are being developed in partnership with local NGOs.
- Future panels will include more voices from players, referees, and community leaders to shape inclusive policies.
