Supporters who post online hate speech or threatening messages towards players and officials at the Rugby World Cup risk being banned from domestic matches and reported to police, authorities have warned.
World Rugby said that a new deal with the data company Signify would allow it to track tweets and Instagram posts for racism, homophobia and other forms of abuse in real time – and help put an “online protective shield around all tournament match officials, players and coaches” during the tournament.
More notably, World Rugby said that it would also provide evidence to national associations to ban individuals who sent abuse from domestic and international rugby events. The most egregious cases, it added, would also be reported to relevant law enforcement agencies.
“Rugby is a sport for everyone and we take our responsibility very seriously to make the sport as inclusive, accessible and relevant as possible,” World Rugby’s chief executive, Alan Gilpin, said. “This includes sending a strong message that online hate simply will not be tolerated, tackling abuse and harmful content with meaningful action.”
Signify has previously worked with football’s world governing body, Fifa, to track more than 20m messages posted at players and officials at the Qatar World Cup, in 30 languages, including images and emojis, 19,000 of which were offensive.
Crucially in the fight against online abuse, it is better able to identify and investigate anonymous accounts, and in 2021 provided details to police of those that had sent racist abuse to Premier League players.
While rugby union has not faced such levels of toxicity, World Rugby has noted a rise in referees being targeted on social media by fans, especially since the pandemic.
World Rugby’s chief communications officer, Dominic Rumbles, added: “Abuse, on or off the field, has no place in our game and today’s announcement shows just how focused we are in tackling online hate.”
