Violence and abuse a growing concern in men’s soccer, says FIFPRO

MANCHESTER (Agencies): Workplace safety is a growing concern for footballers, who are having to deal with flares and missiles being hurled from the stands, pitch invaders and verbally abusive fans, outlined a FIFPRO report released on Thursday. The global players union said footballers complained that they often had to accept the aggression in silence rather than talk about it for fear it might exacerbate the abuse or impact their job opportunities. “I have this feeling that this constant access to the real me as a player has lowered the threshold for fans in the stadium to a point where some think they are entitled to do things which they really aren’t,” said one player interviewed for the 28-page report titled ‘The Impact of Violence Towards Footballers in Their Workplace’. The findings outlined in the report were based on player interviews, a survey of 41 national unions, media reports and a research paper by University College Dublin’s Dr. Joel Rookwood. Abuse can have serious repercussions with 88% of unions saying the threat of violence leads to poor performance by players, and 83% saying that it contributes to mental health issues such as depression. Ninety-eight percent of unions reported they would welcome increased use of technology such as security scanners and facial recognition to catch and deter perpetrators, with 88% saying more should also be done by clubs to ban violent fans. “Given the mounting levels of violence, it is important football stakeholders, social partners and public institutions increase cooperation to identify measures that ensure the safety of players, staff and spectators,” Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO’s director of global policy and strategic relations for men’s football, said. “Clubs, leagues and federations have a responsibility to ensure that players, as employees, have a safe working environment to perform at their peak.”

Missiles pose the greatest threat to player safety, particularly keepers because of their close proximity to fans, said the report. Two-thirds of unions surveyed said fans throwing objects is one of the most commonly occurring concerns. There were approximately 114 instances of pyrotechnics or missiles disrupting matches last season, according to the report, with several players suffering significant injuries. In September 2022, Universidad de Chile goalkeeper Martin Parra was admitted to hospital after being hit by a firecracker. Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr repeatedly experienced racist abuse on the pitch, including during a fixture against Valencia. Valencia were ordered to partially close their Mestalla Stadium for three matches and were also fined by the Spanish FA for the incident. FIFPRO pointed out player and staff safety is not only a concern on the pitch. Olympique Lyonnais manager Fabio Grosso suffered a serious eye injury when their bus attacked by Marseille fans on its way to Stade Velodrome in October. The game was postponed.