(66) Football clubs trawl social media for gaffes by transfer targets

Link: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/apr/16/footballers-social-media-vetting-transfers

 

Summary:

 

Premier League football clubs now regularly vet the social media activity of prospective players for evidence of bigotry, hate speech and other illegal and offensive behaviour, following a spate of scandals. Kroll, a private investigation and cybersecurity firm, has trawled the social media accounts of potential signings for several Premier and Champions League clubs, checking their posts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms against a list of more than 1,000 problematic words. The revelation comes after former Sunderland and England footballer Adam Johnson was jailed for six years for grooming and sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl. Hundreds of messages from social media, messaging and chat apps – Facebook, WhatsApp and Snapchat – provided crucial evidence.

Key data/statistical information:

• The Football Association has imposed more than £350,000 in fines on players and officials since 2011 for offences including racist and sexist comments.
• In 2014, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand was suspended for three matches while at Queens Park Rangers and fined £25,000 for directing a jibe at a Twitter follower using the word “sket”, Caribbean slang for a promiscuous woman.
• In 2012, the former Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole was ordered to pay £90,000 – the heaviest fine for a social media infringement – after he described the FA as a #BUNCHOFTWATS on Twitter.

What's my view?

I think its good thing that it has become more strict towards the way football players act on social media because they are role models to a lot of people. As the two step flow theory suggests, the ideologies and opinions that they post will be considered by the audience who will gladly adopt their ideologies.