Rio Ferdinand has blamed “male chauvinists” and “archaic thinking” for fuelling online abuse of the Lionesses following the Euros.
Speaking to The Independent, the former England defender warned social media is a “playground to spout abuse” with “no repercussions” for perpetrators as he fiercely condemned online abuse of women and girls.
Ferdinand, now a BT Sport pundit, hit out at social media giants for being too focused on “dollar signs” and letting users abuse others with impunity.
The former footballer raised concerns about the online abuse of the England women’s national football team during the recent Women’s Euros.
Ferdinand argued it is “male chauvinists” as well as “archaic thinking” and “plain pure ignorance” which drove the harassment endured by the Lionesses on social media.
“Whatever it is, it is wrong,” Ferdinand, an ex-United star, added. “And these people need to be pulled out from behind the curtains.”
The ex-footballer argued online abusers should not be able to “ghost around” with people unaware of who they are, as he warned trolls may act differently if they faced proper consequences for their actions. Social media giants have “a duty of care” to both individuals and wider society, Ferdinand said.
He noted his own experiences of enduring racial abuse as a child made him better able to empathise with broader issues of abuse.
“If you have been on the receiving end of different forms of abuse, you can understand, you have empathy for other people, because you have a bit of a deeper understanding,” he said.
“So that definitely plays its part. But listen, I don't think this is too intricate that you can see it's right from wrong. It’s night and day.”
He said his wife Kate, a former Only Way is Essex star, had faced online abuse, as he noted having a daughter makes him more aware of online abuse perpetrated against women and girls.
Ferdinand, who grew up in Peckham in south east London, emphasised the importance of urgently taking action on social media abuse.
“This is something that needs doing now,” Ferdinand said. “As we speak, there are young girls and women who are actually suicidal.”
His comments come after a coroner recently ruled the “negative effects of online content” had contributed to the death of Molly Russell, a 14-year-old girl from Harrow in northwest London, who took her own life in November 2017.
Ferdinand has signed an open letter, written by EE, urging the government to provide greater protection to women and girls online by implementing stricter measures in the greatly delayed Online Safety Bill.
The letter is calling on ministers to pass the full piece of legislation, which the government has promised to soon reintroduce to parliament, as well as amend the bill to ensure violence against women and girls is deemed a priority harm.
Marcus Rashford, Lucy Bronze, and Gareth Southgate are among the other signatories of the letter, which is also signed by anti-online abuse charity Glitch.
Recent research carried out by Hate Lab, which collects data on hate speech, discovered that 92 per cent of the England women’s national football team was subjected to hate speech on social media platforms in the build-up to and during the Women’s Euros. Some 96 per cent of the abuse was misogynistic, while 4 per cent was homophobic.
Researchers analysed more than 78,000 social media posts aimed at the Lionesses, who beat Germany with an extra-time win to secure England’s first major trophy since the men’s side lifted the 1966 World Cup.
Ferdinand labelled the internet a “great hiding place” as he said he had encountered people who have “called” him “names” on social media that would never do the same if they saw him in the street.
“They would probably ask for a picture,” Ferdinand quipped. “It tells you all of everything you need to know about these people.”
If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, the Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
