Social media giant Facebook has linked arms with football's leading anti-discriminatory charity to help fans report all forms of bigotry.
In partnership with Kick It Out, Facebook is launching Take A Stand, a new initiative empowering fans to call out discrimination wherever they see it.
Most football fans will have witnessed some form of discrimination in football – on the terraces, in dressing rooms or on social media – but rarely do fans feel they have the confidence to challenge it.
Take A Stand is an action-led campaign centred around education and reporting, giving fans the information and the tools to call out discrimination both on and off line.
Facebook want to create an environment where people can be free from discrimination and abuse on their apps. Social media is a reflection of wider society and real life behaviour often finds its way onto the internet. This campaign is about tackling both the cause and the symptoms.
Take A Stand campaign includes new reporting tools as well as an education programme.
Facebook has launched a new anti-discrimination toolkit, accessible through an automated Whataspp messaging service. By adding 07432 140 310 to your WhatsApp contacts, and messaging ‘hi', fans will be sent a menu of educational content and resources from Kick it Out, The FA, HOPE Not Hate and other footballing partners. This service is an easily accessible way to learn more about tackling discrimination or the ways you can report it.
Facebook is also rolling out a programme with HOPE Not Hate to deliver education directly to fans, focusing on local schools, young people and supporters groups. The programme aims to de-normalise low level discriminatory language and empower silent bystanders to callout discrimination wherever they see it. This pilot will be delivered initially through community and fan initiatives in partnership with the England national teams, Derby County and Portsmouth. The ambition is to roll this out more broadly, reaching millions of fans over the next few years.
Edleen John, The FA's International, Corporate Affairs and Co-Partner for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Director, said: “We are committed to delivering a game that is free from discrimination and it is important that everybody plays their part in helping to achieve that. Take A Stand will give fans and others involved in the game the impetus to support us on this journey and tackle this issue head-on.
“We know that discrimination exists in society and often manifests itself through football, and only by working together across the game to drive meaningful change through action, can we truly ensure the game is a safe and enjoyable environment for all.”
When fans can safely return to stadiums, Facebook will launch a new automated Messenger service, where people can report matchday discrimination direct to Kick It Out. This report delivers the key information directly to Kick It Out's reporting team, who can act upon it immediately with the relevant authorities. This new solution is fan-friendly and avoids the issue of poor quality wi-fi in stadiums.
Facebook also recently announced new ways they're working to prevent discriminatory behaviour on Facebook and Instagram. These include automatically hiding comments similar to others that have been reported, an expanded version of comment warning, and Direct Message (DM) controls that allow creator accounts and businesses to decide who can message them. Ninety five per cent of the hate speech they remove, the systems detect before anyone reports it, but Facebook knows they have more work to do.
