'Not Just a Korean Issue': FIFA Shocked by World Cup Hate Comments... "13 Times Higher Than Qatar"

*This content was translated by AI.

It was not just a Korean issue. Players from several countries participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North, Central America, and the Caribbean were also subjected to online verbal abuse, excessive criticism, and racist attacks.

Reuters reported on the 1st (Korea time) that "FIFA's digital monitoring system detected 89,000 malicious posts on social media (SNS) during the World Cup group stage," noting that "this represents a 13-fold increase compared to the previous 2022 Qatar World Cup."

This figure was confirmed after FIFA's Social Media Protection Service (SMPS) examined over 6 million posts and comments. The scale of the inspection itself also increased by 33% compared to the 2022 Qatar tournament. While the media explained that the volume of SNS posts and comments increased due to various reasons, including the expansion of the tournament from a 32-team format to a 48-team format, the 13th-fold rise in malicious posts is considered a serious issue even when accounting for the overall increase in inspection volume.

The content of the malicious posts was also serious. According to FIFA, 11% of the 89,000 posts identified as malicious were racist attacks. Racist malicious posts also increased compared to the 8th% recorded during the group stage of the Qatar tournament.

Actual cases of victims were also reported. Justin Kluivert (Bournemouth) and Crysencio Summerville (West Ham) of the Netherlands were reportedly subjected to racist attacks online following their penalty shootout loss to Morocco in the Round of 32. Both players missed their penalties. As a result, the tournament favorite Netherlands was eliminated early. Dutch soccer fans did not let these mistakes go unnoticed.

South Korea was no exception. South Korea's starting defender Seol Young-woo (Red Star Belgrade) was subjected to excessive criticism and malicious comments during the group stage of this tournament. In particular, negative reactions from some fans intensified after the team's loss to Mexico in the second group stage match. Malicious comments even appeared that wished for injuries that could be fatal to a player's career, going beyond criticism of their performance. Not only the players themselves but also their acquaintances and family members became targets.

In response, Seol Young-woo's agency, Sport Project, released a statement after the team's loss to South Africa in the third group stage match, vowing to take legal action against the malicious comments. Local Serbian media outlets where Seol Young-woo's team is based also highlighted that "Seol Young-woo, known as a quiet player for Red Star Belgrade, was particularly angered by this incident" and "warned of a strong response to the malicious comments."

FIFA's announcement shows that the problem of online malicious comments is not limited to a specific country. While some fans' abusive language and personal attacks against the South Korean national team sparked controversy, players across the entire World Cup were exposed to criticism and expressions of hatred that went beyond common sense.

FIFA explained that on social media platforms for this tournament, "the most objectively negative and aggressive content has increased significantly."

The SMPS that detected the malicious posts in this tournament is a digital monitoring service operated by FIFA to protect participants from online malicious comments and discriminatory attacks. It combines technology and human review to detect and block racist, discriminatory, and threatening messages.

FIFA explained that "the service is available to all teams, players, coaching staff, and match officials participating in all tournaments organized by FIFA, and protects them and their followers from being exposed to discriminatory and aggressive content."

During the group stage of this tournament, SMPS examined over 6 million posts and comments, of which 225,000 were classified for human review. Reviewers ultimately identified 89,000 posts as malicious and took action. Approximately 1,000 accounts with severe violations were transferred for further investigation.

Separately, SMPS used automated review tools to hide approximately 181,000 hate comments posted on each team's account.

FIFA stated, "As SMPS has advanced, it is also collecting evidence that can be submitted to law enforcement," and added, "In fact, more than 100 cases have been identified that are at a level where legal action can be taken."

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*This content was translated by AI.