Football abuse: Premier League and WSL stars targeted by death and rape threats

The article discusses the issue of online abuse and threats in football, particularly in the women's game. It highlights that 39 posts were deemed serious enough to warrant further investigation by Signify, a company that monitors social media for abusive content. These posts included monkey emojis on black players' accounts, rape threats, and death threats.

The article also mentions that some of these posts were reported to police, who decided not to take further action due to the lack of evidence. However, one post was reported to X (the platform where the abuse occurred), and it was removed.

The article quotes Chelsea women's boss Emma Hayes on the issue, saying "It comes with the territory now" and that players need to be psychologically strong enough to not need to read abusive messages.

The article also mentions that Arsenal have been working with Signify for three years and have seen a 90% drop in abusive content from their fans. Chelsea women are also now working with the same company.

The Premier League director of content protection, Tim Cooper, is quoted as saying that the platforms can do more to change their algorithms to prevent online abuse.

The article concludes by highlighting the need for social media companies and football clubs to take action against online abuse and threats, and providing resources for those affected.

Some key points from the article include:

* 39 posts were deemed serious enough to warrant further investigation
* Posts included monkey emojis on black players' accounts, rape threats, and death threats
* One post was reported to X and removed
* Arsenal have seen a 90% drop in abusive content from their fans after working with Signify for three years
* Chelsea women are now also working with Signify
* The Premier League is taking steps to monitor and investigate online abuse
* Social media companies and football clubs need to take action against online abuse and threats.
 
Ugh, online abuse in football is getting out of control ๐Ÿคฏ... 39 posts that were straight up toxic enough to warrant an investigation... rape threats, death threats, and even monkey emojis being thrown at black players' accounts is wild ๐Ÿ˜ฑ. I mean, I knew it was a problem but this is just crazy. And what's even more frustrating is that some of these posts got reported to the police and they didn't do anything because there wasn't enough evidence... like, what's the point of reporting if nothing's gonna be done ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธ.

But on the bright side, Arsenal has seen a massive drop in abusive content after working with Signify for three years (90% drop is huge) ๐Ÿ‘. And Chelsea women are also joining them now, which is a step in the right direction... I guess it's all about taking action and making a change ๐Ÿ’ช. The Premier League needs to do more too, like changing their algorithms or something... social media companies need to take responsibility for this stuff ๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™‚๏ธ.
 
I'm so upset by this news ๐Ÿคฏ, like, 39 posts is way too much! ๐Ÿ˜ข I can only imagine how scary it must be for those players to get death threats and rape threats on their social media accounts... ugh, it's just not right! ๐Ÿ’” And the fact that some of these posts were reported to police but they didn't take action because of lack of evidence is just frustrating ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธ. But I'm glad that Arsenal was able to make a change and see a 90% drop in abusive content after working with Signify for three years... that's like, super inspiring! ๐Ÿ’ช And now Chelsea women are also on board, so we're seeing some progress! ๐ŸŒŸ I think the Premier League needs to step up their game too, like, they need to change those algorithms or something... and social media companies need to do more to protect players from online abuse. It's just not fair that these girls have to deal with this stuff on top of playing football! ๐Ÿ˜ค
 
I feel so bad for these female players ๐Ÿค•, they're already dealing with enough pressure on the pitch, now they gotta deal with all this toxic stuff online too ๐Ÿšซ it's just not right. I mean, 90% drop in abusive content is still 10%, and that's just not acceptable ๐Ÿ™…โ€โ™‚๏ธ Tim Cooper's got a point, platforms need to do more than just report it to the cops, they need to take concrete steps to prevent it from happening in the first place ๐Ÿ’ป. It's time for social media companies to step up their game ๐Ÿ‘Š and football clubs to support their players instead of just saying 'it comes with the territory' ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธ
 
I'm so fed up with this online abuse stuff ๐Ÿ™„! I mean, come on, who does that? Sending monkey emojis to black players' accounts or threatening someone's life is just not cool. It's 2025 and we should be way more advanced than this ๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™€๏ธ. The fact that some posts got reported to the police but didn't lead anywhere due to lack of evidence is just a total bummer ๐Ÿ˜”.

But I've gotta give it up to Arsenal - they're doing their part by working with Signify and seeing a 90% drop in abusive content from their fans ๐Ÿ™Œ. And Chelsea women are joining them soon, that's awesome! ๐Ÿ’ช

It's also interesting to see the Premier League taking action on this. Tim Cooper is right, platforms can do more to change their algorithms and prevent online abuse ๐Ÿค–.

We all need to look out for each other online and make sure those who send abusive messages get reported ๐Ÿ“ฃ. No one deserves that kind of treatment, not in football or anywhere else ๐Ÿ˜Š.
 
Ugh, it's like people think social media is just a playground or something ๐Ÿคฏ... I mean, we're living in an age where we can share our thoughts and feelings with the world, but at what cost? 39 posts that made someone feel so bad they wanted to hurt themselves? That's not okay, no matter how insignificant it may seem. And yet, we still think we can just 'move on' or be 'psychologically strong enough'. No, it's not about being tough, it's about having a support system and feeling seen. The fact that Arsenal saw a 90% drop in abuse after working with Signify is great, but what about the players who didn't get reported? What about the ones who just... gave up? ๐Ÿค”
 
๐Ÿค• its so sad whats going on in the world of sports right now, all this online abuse is just so unnecessary ๐Ÿ™„ especially when it comes to womens football, im sure those players have enough on their plate without dealing with that kind of negativity ๐Ÿ˜ฉ i totally get what emma hayes is saying, players need to be strong to deal with all that psychological stuff, but cant we just make the online world a safer space for everyone? ๐Ÿค i wish more ppl would speak out against this stuff and not just sit back and let it happen ๐Ÿ’” its great to hear that arsenal and chelsea are working together with signify to tackle this issue, hope they can inspire other teams and platforms to do the same ๐Ÿ’ช
 
I think social media platforms are actually doing a great job in dealing with online abuse, you know? ๐Ÿค” I mean, 39 posts being deemed serious enough to warrant investigation is pretty impressive. And yeah, it's not like the fans were just sitting around twiddling their thumbs, waiting for someone to do something about it. But seriously, what's the point of even reporting all those posts if they're not going to lead to anything concrete? ๐Ÿ™„ It feels like we're just paying lip service to the issue and expecting everyone to magically get over it. And Emma Hayes' comment about players needing to be "psychologically strong" is basically just a cop-out, you know? I mean, come on, if there's that much abuse going around, shouldn't our football clubs and platforms be doing more to prevent it in the first place? ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธ
 
Ugh, can't believe the state of our social media platforms ๐Ÿคฏ๐Ÿ˜ก. I mean, we've all seen those disturbing images and comments going around, but it's not just the visuals that are the problem - it's the mentality behind them too ๐Ÿ’”. The fact that 39 posts were deemed serious enough to warrant further investigation is just shocking ๐Ÿคฏ. Monkey emojis on black players' accounts? Rape threats? Death threats? How can we expect these young women, who are already under so much pressure to perform and be perfect, to deal with this kind of abuse when they have to see it all the time online ๐Ÿ˜ฉ.

And don't even get me started on the fact that some posts were reported to police, but not taken seriously enough due to a lack of evidence ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธ. I mean, what's being done to hold these perpetrators accountable? It feels like we're just going through the motions and expecting everything to magically sort itself out ๐Ÿ’ช.

But you know what's even more disappointing? The fact that some platforms can still find ways to make money from this kind of abuse ๐Ÿ˜ณ. Like, I get it - they need to make a buck, but at what cost? It feels like we're just perpetuating the problem and expecting everyone else to clean up after us ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ.

Anyway, kudos to Arsenal for taking action three years ago and seeing a 90% drop in abusive content. That's some serious progress ๐Ÿ™Œ. And it's great that Chelsea women are now on board with Signify too ๐Ÿ’ช. We need more people like them who are willing to take a stand against this kind of abuse.

The Premier League needs to step up their game and make sure these platforms are doing everything they can to prevent online abuse, not just react after something happens ๐Ÿšจ. And we as a society need to educate ourselves and each other about the dangers of online abuse and how it affects people ๐Ÿ’ก. It's time for change, folks! ๐Ÿ”ฅ
 
I'm so worried about the state of social media ๐Ÿคฏ! I mean, 39 posts that are serious enough to warrant further investigation? That's just crazy talk! And for what? So we can all feel safe online? ๐Ÿ˜‚ Please, it's not that easy. What about the monkey emojis on black players' accounts? Is that supposed to be funny or what? ๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ˜ก

And don't even get me started on the rape threats and death threats. Can you imagine if your player was actually going through that? It's just horrific! ๐Ÿ˜จ The fact that some of these posts were reported to the police, but they didn't take action because there wasn't enough evidence... what a joke! ๐Ÿ™„

I know the Premier League is trying to do something about it, and I'm all for that. But 90% drop in abusive content from Arsenal fans? That's just not possible! ๐Ÿ˜‚ And now Chelsea women are working with Signify too? Yeah right, until they realize it doesn't make a difference ๐Ÿ™„.

We need to stop pretending like social media companies can magically solve this problem. They're not even trying hard enough ๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™‚๏ธ. We need to take action ourselves! ๐Ÿ’ช
 
๐Ÿคฏ I'm so done with the culture of entitlement that comes with being a fan. Like, do we really think it's okay to send monkey emojis at a black player or threaten their lives? ๐Ÿ™…โ€โ™‚๏ธ It's not just the players who are affected, but also their families and loved ones. The fact that some people still don't take online abuse seriously enough is appalling.

I'm glad Arsenal has taken steps to address this issue by working with Signify for three years and seeing a 90% drop in abusive content from their fans. It's a start, I guess. But what's really needed is for social media companies and football clubs to overhaul their algorithms to prevent online abuse in the first place.

It's not rocket science, folks! ๐Ÿค” We need more accountability and less excuses. The Premier League should be leading the charge on this issue, not just reacting after something has happened. And players like Emma Hayes are right - they do have to develop a thick skin to deal with online abuse, but that shouldn't be the only solution.

We need a collective effort to create a safer online space for football fans and players alike. ๐Ÿ’ช
 
Ugh, can you believe the state of social media these days ๐Ÿคฏ? I mean, 39 posts being reported for monkey emojis on black players' accounts? ๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ˜’ That's like me posting a selfie with a monkey hat and expecting everyone to be okay with it... not gonna happen ๐Ÿ˜‚. And don't even get me started on the threats - rape and death threats? No thank you, I'll stick to my online safety net ๐Ÿšซ. It's good that Arsenal has seen a 90% drop in abusive content after working with Signify for three years, but like, how do they even know if it's been implemented properly? Can't we just have a social media detox or something and get back to human interaction? ๐Ÿคช Anyway, kudos to Emma Hayes for being all like "it comes with the territory now" - maybe she should just start wearing a force field on her Twitter profile ๐Ÿ‘€.
 
๐Ÿคฏ I'm so tired of seeing this stuff on my feeds ๐Ÿค•, it's like, can't we all just get along? ๐Ÿ˜” I mean, I know the Premier League is trying to do something about it, but 90% drop in abusive content is still a long way off ๐Ÿ™„. It's not just about the posts that got reported, there are so many more out there that never get caught ๐Ÿ’”. And Emma Hayes saying "it comes with the territory now" is just, like, totally not true ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธ, players deserve better than to be subjected to this kind of abuse ๐Ÿ˜ญ. I think we need to hold those platforms accountable for their algorithms and make them do more to prevent online abuse ๐Ÿ‘ฎโ€โ™‚๏ธ. We can't just sit back and let our girls (and guys) get bullied online ๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™€๏ธ. It's time for change ๐Ÿ’ช!
 
Ugh, online abuse in football is getting out of hand ๐Ÿคฏ๐Ÿ’”. I mean, 39 posts that are serious enough to warrant an investigation? That's just not acceptable ๐Ÿ™…โ€โ™‚๏ธ. And the fact that some players have to deal with rape threats and death threats on a daily basis is just appalling ๐Ÿ˜ท.

I think it's great that Arsenal has seen such a huge drop in abusive content after working with Signify, but I'm not sure if more needs to be done ๐Ÿค”. Some people are saying that social media companies need to change their algorithms to prevent online abuse, and I can see why they'd say that ๐Ÿ”.

But at the end of the day, it's still up to us as users to report abusive content and to create a community that supports each other ๐Ÿ’•. It's not just about the platforms or the football clubs, it's about all of us coming together to make a change ๐ŸŒŸ.

I wish Emma Hayes was more specific about what she meant by "it comes with the territory now" though... I feel like we need some clear action plans from her and other players on how they're going to deal with online abuse ๐Ÿ‘Š.
 
๐Ÿ˜” I'm so sorry to hear about the horrific posts on social media towards female players in football ๐Ÿค• It's absolutely disgusting that people think it's okay to send monkey emojis or rape threats - it's not funny, it's not okay ๐Ÿ’” The fact that 39 posts were reported and only one was removed is just heartbreaking ๐Ÿ’” I can imagine how scary and terrifying it must be for the players to receive such vile messages ๐Ÿคฏ

It's great to see that Arsenal has seen a 90% drop in abusive content after working with Signify, but it's not enough - more needs to be done ๐Ÿ‘Š We need social media companies to change their algorithms so that these kinds of posts don't even appear on the platform ๐Ÿ”„ And football clubs like Chelsea need to support their players and provide them with the resources they need to cope with this kind of abuse ๐Ÿ’•
 
Ugh, can't believe what's going on in the world of football right now ๐Ÿค•. I mean, 39 posts of that kind are just unacceptable... who gets away with sending rape threats and death threats over social media? ๐Ÿšซ It's like, seriously? You'd think the platforms would do more to prevent this stuff, especially when you see what Arsenal has done by cutting out 90% of abusive content from their fans' posts ๐Ÿคฏ.

And Emma Hayes is right, it does come with the territory now... but that doesn't make it okay ๐Ÿ™…โ€โ™€๏ธ. Players should be able to play without having to deal with that kind of crap on social media. The Premier League needs to do more than just investigate and remove a few posts, they need to fundamentally change how their platforms work to prevent this stuff from happening in the first place ๐Ÿ’ป.

I'm glad Chelsea is now working with Signify too... we need all hands on deck here ๐Ÿค. And I love that Tim Cooper is calling out the platforms for not doing enough - it's about time someone took them to task over their role in enabling online abuse ๐Ÿ˜’. We need more action, less justifications... let's get this sorted ๐Ÿ’ช
 
I'm really disappointed in how often we hear about online abuse happening in the world of football ๐Ÿค•. It's just not right, especially when it comes to our female players who are already dealing with so much pressure on the pitch โšฝ๏ธ. I think it's a total shame that some people feel comfortable sending rape threats and death threats online - it's completely unacceptable ๐Ÿšซ.

I love that Arsenal have seen such a huge drop in abusive content after working with Signify for three years ๐Ÿ™Œ. And I'm glad to hear that Chelsea women are now joining forces too ๐Ÿ’ช. But I think there's more work to be done, especially from social media companies and the Premier League themselves. Those algorithms need to change ASAP ๐Ÿ”.

I've been thinking, maybe it's time we start educating people about what constitutes online abuse? ๐Ÿค” We all need to take responsibility for our words and actions online. And if you're a fan, please don't think that sending a few mean tweets will get a reaction - it won't ๐Ÿ’โ€โ™€๏ธ.

The fact is, these players are human beings too, and they deserve respect ๐Ÿ™. Not just from each other, but from everyone in the football community. We need to create a culture where online abuse doesn't feel like an accepted part of the game โšฝ๏ธ.
 
๐Ÿค• gotta say, 90% drop in abusive content from Arsenal fans after working with Signify is bloody impressive ๐Ÿ™Œ. but still only 39 posts got investigated? shouldn't be that hard for social media companies to crack down on hate speech ๐Ÿค‘. and what's with the lack of evidence leading police not to take action? just because there isn't enough proof doesn't mean it can't happen, right? ๐Ÿ˜•
 
Ugh, can't believe the state of online discourse ๐Ÿคฏ. Like, I get that people are passionate about their teams, but threatening players with monkeys or actual death is just sick ๐Ÿ˜ท. And it's not like these fans are anonymous - they're actually identifiable! That's what makes it even more disturbing.

I mean, Emma Hayes saying "it comes with the territory" kinda sounds like a cop-out ๐Ÿ™„. I get that being in the public eye can take a toll on players' mental health, but should we just shrug off threats and harassment? It's not just about being "psychologically strong"... it's about feeling safe and respected online.

And what really gets me is that there are platforms out there that claim to monitor abuse but still let it slide ๐Ÿ™„. The fact that 90% of abusive content from Arsenal fans was cut after working with Signify for three years is a good start, I guess ๐Ÿ‘. But we need more than just incremental progress - we need systemic change. Social media companies and football clubs need to take action against online abuse and threats once and for all ๐Ÿ’ช.
 
Ugh, can't believe what's happening on social media in the world of football ๐Ÿคฏ! I mean, I get it, there are gonna be haters out there but 39 posts being serious enough for police not to take action? That's wild ๐Ÿ˜ฒ. And to top it off, one post got reported and removed, so progress is slow ๐Ÿšซ. On a positive note though, Arsenal has been crushing online abuse with Signify's help - that's some serious progress right there ๐Ÿ’ช! Chelsea women are also on board now, I hope they can take it from here ๐Ÿ‘. The Premier League needs to step up its game too, changing algorithms and all that jazz ๐Ÿ“ˆ... we need more concrete solutions here ๐Ÿ˜ฉ. Players are already going through so much on the pitch, no reason for them to deal with online abuse too ๐Ÿ’”
 
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