The FA has reiterated its commitment to tackle abuse on social media in the wake of the recent Dispatches television programme.
The Channel 4 show highlighted the level of abuse some professional players receive on platforms like Twitter and The FA will work with stakeholders both in and outside the game to combat this problem.
Jenni Kennedy, Head of Off-Field Football Regulation for The FA, has been proactive in ensuring there is consistency across the various bodies tasked with monitoring and tackling social media abuse.
“The FA met with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) during the consultation period for developing the CPS ‘Guidelines on prosecuting cases involving communications sent via social media’, which were subsequently released in June 2013."
“Collaboration is key.”
Jenni Kennedy, Head of Off-Field Regulation
“Our meeting with the DPP and other key stakeholders in the game provided a good platform to share best practice, experiences and ideas as to how we can work proactively, and what we need to do better to ensure we are doing all we can to tackle abuse on social media.”
Kick It Out, one of the only campaigning groups in the game which also monitors and reports abuse on social media, has received a 43 per cent increase in reports of discriminatory remarks being posted on social media in the last year, as the anonymity of online platforms such as Facebook and Twitter provides a new outlet for racism and homophobia.
“Our approach is to work with organisations like Twitter, which have a huge following and profile, but perhaps could do more to counter the inappropriate use some people engage in."
"We know it’s a huge task and so, for us, collaboration is key."
"The FA has a wealth of experience in dealing with issues of discrimination, both on and off the field, so I’m confident we can transfer some of this expertise and knowledge into the online domain.”
