England players' racist abuse amplified on X - report

Why the report hits hard

The report says it identified more than 5,500 explicitly racist posts while analysing a far larger pool of content during the tournament.

Among the players highlighted were:

  • Jude Bellingham - reportedly the most targeted in overall volume
  • Bukayo Saka and Kobbie Mainoo - said to have faced the highest proportion of racist posts
  • Djed Spence - reportedly targeted by anti-Muslim abuse as well

That matters because football already knows this pattern. England’s biggest tournaments too often bring a parallel wave of online hatred, particularly toward Black players and those in the public eye after high-pressure moments.

Moderation after the damage is done

Hermansson’s central point is that reactive tools may no longer be enough. Players can block accounts. Posts can be reported. Some users can be suspended. But if offensive content is still being recommended, the harm is already spreading.

“Isso gera engajamento na plataforma, e o algoritmo é usado para elevar esse conteúdo e mostrá-lo a mais usuários,” Hermansson added.

That line gets to the heart of the modern problem: football’s abuse crisis is no longer just about what people post, but how quickly systems appear to reward outrage.

What football wants next

The report urges tougher regulation before the new Premier League season, with calls for major sporting events to be treated as high-risk periods for predictable spikes in hate speech. That feels like the next battleground for the game, regulators and tech firms alike.

Football will move on to the next fixture, the next transfer story, the next title race. But this issue will not disappear that easily - and the next big test may come long before the next major tournament.