World Cup final TMO exposed to shocking abuse
Rugby World Cup Final television match official (TMO), Tom Foley has revealed the extent of abuse aimed at him and his family since the Springboks victory over New Zealand.
The referee for that match, Wayne Barnes has retired and since pledged to do all he can to combat the levels of abuse directed at rugby match officials, largely through social media.
TMO exposed to shocking abuse
Foley has now opened up on what kinds of things have been said or sent to him through social media.
He said that while most abuse can be shrugged off the threat of doxxing remains a very real concern.
“They were direct threats,” he told the Two Locks and a Cox podcast.
“Against you, your family and kids. Things like: ‘I hope your family die in a dreadful car accident. I’m going to hunt you down and slit your throat.’
“Most of it you can take. A lot of it is just from keyboard warriors. But when they know enough information that it could be a problem, that’s when it gets worrying.
“[My children’s] school even had an email. It’s a tiny minority. Think of the millions of people who watched that game. It’s still a tiny percentage, but the problem is, how are we going to get people to referee? The sport as a whole is going to suffer.
“You know, as a referee, you’re going to get grief at some point. You knew, officiating a World Cup final between two teams who had been so successful, you were going to get some grief no matter who won or lost.
“Neither of us understood the level. It has gotten worse in the last year. World Rugby, to be fair, have been proactive, getting a company involved [Signify Group] who screen everything. We send them everything that we get sent directly. They do investigations which can lead to prosecution.”
Not just the World Cup
A measure that many have been advocating for recently is for social media companies to require identification or adequate verification. However it seems that these companies fear they will lose traffic if such measures are introduced as they continue to drag their heels.
“You can’t hide behind this faceless façade. It’s cowardice,” Foley told the BBC.
“They wouldn’t say it to you in the street. So why do they feel that they can say it online?”
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