International Football
SOCIAL MEDIA BULLYING OF BLACK PLAYERS: ‘WE NEED TO DO MORE’ SAYS SUPER EAGLES’ OFFICIAL, TUNDE ADELAKUN
International football commentator, Tunde Adelakun has called on the authorities to be bold and come out and do more to protect football players who have come under attack by fans on social media lately.
The incidence of social media racist abuse seems to have increased significantly over the last few months with no less than ten Europe based black football players suffering one form of abuse or the other each passing day.
‘It has become scary these days’, says Adelakun, who is also the first assistant to the head coach of the Nigerian football team – the Super Eagles.
‘You just have to look at a team playing perhaps below par and you just know that a few of their players, mostly black ones, will come under heavy attack with monkey emojis and racial slurs aimed at them before the day runs out’.
Clubs in Europe have come to take various stances against the menace in recent weeks following racial abuse of their players.
Swansea FC which has Ghana’s Andre Ayew on their books, Birmingham City also in the second tier of English football and newly crowned Scottish Premiership champions Rangers have all opted out of social media activities for one week, in protest at the lack of enough measures by the social media companies to curb the abuse.
But does anyone know where it all stemmed from? Adelakun believes that racism has never been more apparent in today’s sport, perhaps due to the restrictions brought about by the pandemic.
‘Racism is a part of the human fabric and has been for many years’, the former Publisher of New African Soccer magazine explained, ‘and I have seen firsthand, the effect of the chants and jeers on the mentality of African players in my time.
‘It is an extension of the wider society, I have always said, and it is not easy to curb or stop.
‘This pandemic has brought idleness to our midst, and because we can’t seem to get out and go to the stadium and watch games, we vent our frustrations using our keypads.
‘This time, the racist individual who might be able to go out and shout his racist chants at a player in a stadium can’t anymore. He therefore reverts to doing it on social media, where more people will see it, and add their own take to the one, which then makes it even bigger’.
‘It is particularly sad when you see that these players are laying life and limb on the line to provide entertainment and earn a living, yet they are being abused, and getting even more threats to their families who have done no one any wrong. It is scary’, he says.
Tunde Adelakun is also the voice of TundeTalks, which is a mentoring and mindset coaching service that he offers to corporate organisations and individuals, and he has had to use his mental skills to help some players who have received abuse over time.
‘Yes’, he confirms, ‘I indeed have had to speak to a good few of Africa’s best players who have suffered abuse by online bullies and tried to redirect their minds to continue to focus on their primary tasks, which is to enjoy their vocation which is football, play to the best of their abilities and blot out the noises from online racists and bullies’.
But he believes more can be done by the authorities.
‘These players are always alone when things like these happen to them. I have seen it first hand. There is no support network and I think there should be more support for the players and coaches who suffer racist abuse, than there is now’
‘Broadcast organisations have been vocal, as have the respective clubs of the players involved. But the wider authorities need to be bold enough to make a big statement to show solidarity with the players.
‘CAF is the custodian of football in Africa, and I think it is high time that this confederation steps up and provides more support to its players who form a huge majority of victims of racial abuse by online bullies around the world.
‘Not once has CAF come out to condemn the act of abuse on an African player, and this is worrisome, when we consider the fact that if this same player does something good, we all rush to claim the player as one of us and shout his name to the high heavens.
‘I think there should be a support system by CAF to look at directly liaising with our players and checking on their well-being anytime they are bullied and abused on social media’. Adelakun, also the founder and CEO of Africa’s scouts and coaches network AFSCON, concluded.
It will be recalled that the likes of Cameroonian assistant coach of Turkish club Istanbul Besakhsehir came under intense social media attack following a high profile spat in a Champions League game earlier this season. Since then players like Glasgow Rangers’ Glen Kamara, Valencia’s Diakhaby and Liverpool female player Rinsola Babajide of Nigeria are just a few of African players that have been subjected to intense and brutal racial slurs on social media in recent weeks
International Football
Players’ union, FIFPRO, wants 20-minute halftimes, more cooling breaks amid extreme heat
Global players’ union FIFPRO is exploring whether extending halftime to 20 minutes and introducing more frequent cooling breaks could better protect players from extreme heat.
Nine of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup face conditions considered “extreme risk” for heat-related illness.
Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Monterrey and Philadelphia are expected to face dangerous levels of heat and humidity, posing player safety concerns and fuelling calls for mandatory cooling aids or schedule changes.
FIFPRO’s heat risk assessments are based on wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), a measure combining temperature, humidity, solar radiation and wind speed to estimate how environmental conditions affect the body’s ability to cool itself.
Under FIFPRO guidelines, a WBGT reading above 28 degrees Celsius indicates conditions in which matches should be postponed or rescheduled to protect players’ health.
By comparison, world soccer governing body FIFA’s own guidelines set the extreme risk threshold higher, at 32 degrees Celsius WBGT – but even by that standard, six of the nine cities are still projected to exceed safe limits.
Major League Soccer in the U.S. has a threshold of 29 degrees Celsius WBGT.
“Cooling breaks at the 30th minute and 75th minutes are quite traditional, but from a physiological point of view it does not make sense,” said Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO’s Medical Director.
“Even if you ingest more than 200 millilitres of fluid, you already cannot take it all. So I would definitely like to see some project where we look at the efficacy of perhaps more frequent but shorter cooling breaks – every 15 minutes, rather than only one during each half.”
LONGER HALFTIMES
Gouttebarge also questioned whether the traditional 15-minute halftime interval is sufficient when matches are played in extreme heat.
“You can imagine that halftime of 15 minutes might not be enough in order to decrease the core temperature,” he said.
“It could be a halftime of 20 minutes which would be significant. That has been shown in the laboratory and FIFPRO, together with the national union in Portugal in August, we are going to test this kind of mitigation strategy.”
The urgency of stronger heat protocols became clear at this month’s Club World Cup where two matches — Benfica-Bayern Munich in Charlotte and Chelsea-Esperance in Philadelphia exceeded the WBGT threshold FIFPRO considers unsafe.
“According to our position, those games should have been postponed later that day or rescheduled,” Gouttebarge said.
FIFPRO officials acknowledged that FIFA has responded constructively during the tournament by lowering thresholds for mandatory cooling breaks and improving pitch-side hydration, but stressed that proactive planning is critical.
“FIFA have been quite responsive once the tournament was under way,” said Alex Phillips, FIFPRO General Secretary.
“They have actually modified how they’ve been dealing with heat during the matches based on FIFPRO’s input, which is credit to the work of the team. Obviously, it would have been better if that happened in advance, but it’s better that they have adapted.”
FIFPRO warned that the risks highlighted at the Club World Cup are a preview of what players could face at the expanded 2026 World Cup.
“This is not just affecting the Club World Cup, but also future tournaments either in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world,” said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO Director of Policy & Strategic Relations.
“We need a better balance between commercial interests and the health and safety of players,” he added, referring to earlier kick-off times to accommodate European television audiences.
-Reuters
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Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Ince has been charged with drink-driving, police said on Monday.
Ince, who earned 53 caps for England and won two Premier League titles during his six years at United, has been released on bail and will appear in court on July 18.
“The incident involved a black Range Rover which had collided with the central reservation barrier. Officers attended the scene and arrested a 57-year-old man,” the Cheshire police said in a statement.
“Paul Ince, of Quarry Road, Neston, has since been charged with drink-driving.”
Reuters has contacted Ince’s representative for comment.
After retiring as a player, Ince led Milton Keynes Dons to a League Two title in 2007-08. He most recently managed Reading during 2022-23.
-Reuters
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International Football
From garbage collector to Starman of Ancelotti’s Brazil team: the story of Ribeiro
“I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me.!” Alex Ribeiro
Alexsandro Victor de Souza Ribeiro (Rio de Janeiro, 1999) was, until a few days ago, a semi-unknown to the general public in Brazil.
However, Carlo Ancelotti, impressed by his strong performance against Real Madrid in the Champions League, insisted on calling up the Lille centre-back… and giving him his debut.
Not only that. He started alongside Marquinhos against Ecuador (0-0) and Paraguay (1-0) and helped the Seleçao keep two consecutive clean sheets for the first time in the qualifying rounds.
Alex, as he likes to be called, impressed with his 1.92 meters (6′ 1″) frame and confidence. According to ‘R10Score’, he was the Brazilian player who completed the most actions with the ball (186) and the second with the most cuts (11).
He completed 154 of the 166 passes he made (92% accuracy) and won 12 of the 16 duels he was involved in: 5 of 7 at ground level and 7 of 9 in the air. “A gentleman defender,” boasted the official Ligue 1 Portuguese account.
His path to the elite wasn’t easy. “I don’t think you know this, but this is my first game as a professional in Brazil. Strange, isn’t it? There’s nothing better. To debut in Brazil like this, with a win and qualification,” he boasted after defeating Paraguay.
These first few days with Ancelotti have been unique; I’ll remember them for the rest of my life. I’ve responded well not only to myself, but also to the coach and the Brazilian people. I was able to demonstrate my ability to those who had doubts. Few people give me the opportunity that the manager has given me,” he insists
The Lille centre-back took his first steps in Flamengo’s youth system, where he even met Vinicius.
“When we played against Real Madrid, Vini came up to me and hugged me. He said, ‘I’m glad to see you here, brother.’ That inspired and motivated me even more,” he told ‘Globo Esporte’.
‘Fla’ cut him off. He had to make a living as a street vendor. He also collected trash, especially cans. “I was without a team for a year and a half, doing trials… and no club in Brazil wanted me, so I went to Europe to play in Portugal’s Third Division.”
Praiense (2018-20), Amora (2020-21), and Chaves (2021-22)—the latter already in the Second Division—were his springboard to Lille. The Bulldogs signed him in 2022-23 for €2 million. He has become a more than worthy successor to his compatriot Gabriel Magalhaes.
“Little by little, my name is spreading. My football is reaching everywhere. This includes Brazil,” he said before making his debut with the Seleçao. Now that he’s made it, he has another challenge: “I want to continue it.”
-Marca
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