Students from the African University College of Communications (AUCC) have teamed up with the Ghana Football Association to address the phenomenon of cyber abuse of Black Stars players.
The students, as part of their final year project work, developed a comprehensive guide to help both the GFA and the players deal with cyber abuse when it occurs.
The policy document was handed over to the GFA General Secretary, Prosper Harrison Addo, at the end of a meeting with the country’s football governing body, where the students presented the findings from their research to the GFA.
Upon receiving the document, Harrison Addo praised the students for their efforts to help the GFA deal with the matter and expressed interest in future collaborations.
“I am very glad some people have decided to look into this matter and as the results from your research shows, it’s a big problem that the association and the players are currently grappling with.
“We will look into the recommendations that you have provided in this policy document and appropriately implement those we deem practicable,” he said.
In their research paper titled “Cyberbullying and Trolling of Black Stars Players”, the students found that 100% of the current Black Stars players surveyed admitted to suffering abuse on social media from the hands of football fans and journalists, while more than half say they do not have any practical ways of dealing with the issue.
The policy guide the students presented to the GFA is supposed to fill this gap, providing clear guidelines on social media use and steps to take in the face of abuse.
It also contains suggestions to the GFA on how they could help curb the problem. At the same time, the team also provided the FA with educational materials that could be used for a campaign against cyberbullying of national team players.
