Ever since the advent of social media, verbal abuse has taken on an all-new level with people taking to their Facebook and Twitter accounts to spread their vile threats and agenda. The number of reports of online abuse has grown in number over the years and the law is yet to catch up in many countries on how to deal with such people.
Arsenal have started taking online abuse very seriously and together with 'Kick It Out', an organisation that tackles discrimination, will now identify such users and ban them from the club.
‘Kick It Out’ is funded by The Football Association (FA), the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), the Premier League and The English Football League (EFL). They are known for popular campaigns such as ‘Kick Racism Out of Football’ and look to promote tolerance and respect within the community.
The north London club have teamed up with them and, based on reports received by the organisation, they quickly take action depending on the severity of the threats. LeGrove, an Arsenal blogger, tweeted a picture of the letter that is sent to the owners of such accounts and it is safe to say that the Gunners are doing everything they can to stamp it out.
Representatives from the Club have viewed the Tweets and find them both offensive and inappropriate, bringing the name and reputation of the Club into disrepute, and therefore deem it appropriate to impose a Club ban on you.
A Club ban can be for life, a number of years, a number of months ot a number of matches, as determined by the Club in its absolute discretion.
The club also ensured that the said user would not be allowed to attend any Arsenal fixtures at the Emirates Stadium, buy tickets for Arsenal's away games or even attend any other events that are held at the Emirates.
The club also warns the user that if they attempt to use another club supporter’s membership card to gain access to the stadium for any event, the membership of that supporter would either be suspended or revoked.
The only issue they might face is the number of fake profiles that are prevalent on social media, especially during the season. But such drastic measures are taken only after all the facts have been verified.
In most cases, they are able to identify the guilty party with the help of local law enforcement agencies. Earlier this year, the Aberdeen Sheriff Court had found a 20-year-old man guilty of online abuse after he sent offensive messages to a disabled young Celtic fan. He was banned from attending football matches for a year and also made to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
