A-League makes world-first move to block ALL abusive comments aimed at players on social media

The Australian men and women’s A-League competitions have unveiled what is believed to be world-first software that is capable of blocking abusive comments from being seen by athletes and their followers.

The A-League competitions have partnered with British tech company GoBubble Community and players union Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) to roll out the automated filter, which will be applied to the social media accounts of every player in the men’s and women’s leagues.

The software uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to scan, store, and remember words, phrases, symbols, images and even emojis that are offensive and block them before they reach the player and their followers.

Because the offender’s comments are still posted, but are rendered invisible to the athlete and their followers, they have no claim that their freedom of speech or expression is being impacted. 

GoBubble claims the software works with 99 per cent efficiency.

The Federal Government’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has hailed the initiative and said athletes should not be subjected to abuse on or off the field.

‘These days we often find the cheapest seats in the house are behind a keyboard, with players being subjected to terrible online abuse in the course of doing their jobs,’ she said.

‘I think it’s great to see the A-Leagues and PFA making good on this pledge and taking a proactive approach to protecting their athletes. eSafety will continue pushing the major tech companies … so that sporting organisations don’t need to take matters into their own hands to keep their players safe on these platforms.’

A recent example of racial abuse being hurled at an A-League player online was Adelaide United youngster Kusini Yengi, who copped a barrage of taunts on Instagram.

It came after he was substituted on in the 56th minute of his side’s clash with Melbourne Victory with the scores locked at 1-1. 

Yengi would score two important goals to win the match 3-1 and celebrated in front of Victory supporters on the night.

He received racial abuse on social media in the wake of his game-winning efforts. 

Adelaide United’s Josh Cavallo said he had ‘no words’ to describe his disappointment after being abused by the crowd in Melbourne and on social media after he revealed he was gay. 

‘I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t see or hear the homophobic abuse at the game last night,’ Cavallo said on Instagram.

‘There are no words to tell you how disappointed I was. As a society this shows we still face these problems in 2022.’

Cavallo has hailed the new technology as a ‘game changer’.

‘Everyone has the right to feel safe and treated with respect online and have a positive space to share who we are as people and as footballers. Everyone’s story is different and unique,’ he said.

‘What the PFA and the A-League have done is fantastic – actually taking into account the harm of abuse in the lives of footballers. I commend them on making everyone feel protected, so we can all have the benefits of being who we are on and off the field.’

Henry Platten, founder of GoBubble, said he hoped other sports organisations around the world would follow the A-League’s example.

‘This powerful step will protect teams, players and communities from online abuse, and promote a positive and supportive virtual experience across their social channels,’ he said.