Extent of abusive tweets sent to Premier League footballers every day revealed by Ofcom study

A study from Ofcom ahead of the new season has found that seven out of 10 Premier League footballers have been abused on Twitter.

It also revealed that 362 tweets containing abuse are sent to Premier League players every day, and that eight out of the top 10 Premier League players most abused online played for Manchester United last season.

Half of the derogatory tweets were targeted at just 12 players, with United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire receiving the most abuse.

Other players in the top 10 included Bruno Fernandes, Fred, David de Gea, Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Harry Kane and Jack Grealish.

In the report, Ofcom’s Group Director for Broadcasting and Online Content Kevin Bakhurst said: “Football is a game of high emotion, pride and belonging.

“Sometimes that emotion can cross the line. Over the years, football has made great strides in tackling unacceptable behaviour by small minorities, which can blight the game for everyone else.

“This kind of abuse has no place in sport, any more than in wider society.

“Reports such as this will help us to understand the problem, hold tech firms to account when we take on our new responsibilities, and ultimately create a safer life online.”

We caught up with @GaryLineker at our #CrossingTheLine event today, to find out what he thinks could be done to tackle the problem of online abuse in the national game. pic.twitter.com/3L1f1owjtk

— Ofcom (@Ofcom) August 2, 2022