Weah Urges Respect for Referees, Leads FIFA’s Fight Against Hate Speech

Published: June 19, 2026

Monrovia – FIFA Players’ Voice Panel Captain and former Ballon d’Or winner George Weah has called for greater respect and protection for football referees, stressing that mistakes are part of the human nature of the game.

Speaking during a panel discussion marking the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, Weah said players, officials and supporters must recognize that referees, like players, are not immune to errors.

“Everyone makes mistakes. The player makes mistakes, the referee makes mistakes. We accept other people’s mistakes, so we have to accept everybody’s mistakes,” Weah said.

“We can’t threaten the referee. There are certain things he won’t see, and even the assistant referee may not see them. We need to understand that we are human and we make mistakes.”

The event, titled “Stop Hate, Protect Football — What Actually Works Against Hate Speech?”, was organized by FIFA in partnership with TikTok and the City of Atlanta at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights on the eve of the FIFA World Cup 2026 match between Czechia and South Africa at Atlanta Stadium.

The discussion brought together current and former players, policymakers, technology experts and community leaders to identify practical solutions to combat racism, discrimination and abuse in football and wider society.

Reflecting on his own experiences with racism during his playing career, Weah lamented that hate speech remains a challenge despite years of awareness campaigns.

“If I look back, I would say nothing has changed. I experienced racial abuse when racism was at its peak, but we are still here talking about it today,” he said.

Weah emphasized football’s power to unite people across cultures and warned that hate and discrimination threaten the values that have made the sport the world’s most popular game.

“Football is a game of peace and unity. We are fighting to educate young people so they grow into loving people, not just people who love the game. Discrimination should not be part of our society,” he added.

The panel examined the growing challenges of digital and physical hate speech and focused on developing measurable strategies to protect players, officials and supporters while preserving football as a global symbol of unity.