The Dark Reality of Hate Messages: How Athletes and Referees Face Online Abuse

2024-03-06 17:20:00

Top athletes sometimes receive hateful messages on social networks, a phenomenon that referees also face. It has become almost commonplace in a stadium, but referees are also subject to it in everyday life.

It is Bram Van Driessche who testifies, this Wednesday, in the columns of The last news. The Pro League referee claims to be often confronted with hateful messages, including in everyday life.

“I regularly receive hate messages and threats. Once, I even received a death threat at my workplace. It was a real shock,” declared the best referee of the 2017-2018 season.

Van Driessche and… his family received hate messages

However, the one who is currently experiencing his tenth season in D1A does not let himself be discouraged. “I try to respond to these hate messages, indicating that I have different values. Criticism is part of the job and I accept it, but you must not cross a certain line.”

“I don’t think the people behind their computers realize the impact of their words. I find it worse that the family is involved. They also received messages, even though they had nothing to do with it- inside” he was offended.

1709754429
#Pro #League #referee #offended #received #death #threat #workplace #Tout #football