Time to FIGHT! Kick it out
Rio Ferdinand pushes for action against racism…
RIO FERDINAND’S TIPPING POINT From Friday 11 November, Prime Video Factual
Former England football star Rio Ferdinand has long campaigned against racism in football.
But with online abuse against players on the rise, he knows we must go beyond words.
In this hard-hitting three-part series, Rio looks at three of the key issues impacting football today – race, sexuality and mental health.
And first he investigates racism in the sport and seeks to put an end to the horrific abuse targeted at players, particularly online.
‘Dealing with racism is tiring,’ says Rio, who played for West Ham, Leeds and Manchester United. ‘Why am
I having to explain this stuff to my kids? We shouldn’t have to talk about it, but we have to because it’s still going on after all these years.’
Rio helps black footballers such as Wilfried Zaha, Romelu Lukaku and Adebayo Akinfenwa, three of the most abused players online, to share the hate messages they’ve received with a tech company who can identify the senders.
The aim is twofold – to punish those committing the offences, but also to show social-media companies that it’s possible to remove online abuse.
‘Social-media companies make us believe it’s so hard to find that footprint,’ he says. ‘But you can do something about it.’
Rio teams up with former and current players committed to driving lasting change, talks to the FA about action and speaks at Westminster to push through the upcoming online-safety bill.
‘The legislation will be good when it’s passed but that’s two and a bit years away,’ he says. ‘Players are being abused right now. Players are still having to deal with it.’