LONDON: Premier League stars will be among the footballers taking part in a 24-hour social media boycott on Friday as part of a protest against racist abuse online.
The campaign, which is being co-ordinated by England’s Professional Footballers’ Association, urges players to stay off all social media from 9:00am local time (0800 GMT) Friday after posting the hashtag #Enough.
There have been growing concerns over how football should tackle racism following a number of incidents of abuse both at grounds and on social media
England’s black players faced repeated racist chants during their Euro 2020 qualifier in Montenegro last month.
Danny Rose said afterwards he had “had enough” and “can’t wait” to quit the game, with the Tottenham defender adding attempts by football authorities to punish racist incidents were “a farce.”
Rose, giving his support to the PFA boycott, said: “When I said that I can’t wait to see the back of football, it is because of the racism that I, and many other players, have been subjected to our entire careers.
“Football has a problem with racism. I don’t want any future players to go through what I’ve been through in my career.
“Collectively, we are simply not willing to stand by while too little is done by football authorities and social media companies to protect players from this disgusting abuse.”
The PFA said they wanted to show solidarity with affected players as well as demanding that football chiefs take stronger action to rid the game of racism.
“Over the last few months we have seen a rise in appalling instances of racist abuse at grounds around the world, and on social media,” said Simone Pound, head of equalities at the PFA.
“We cannot stand by while too little is done to address this unacceptable behavior.”
Pound added: “The PFA has always been at the forefront of tackling racism and we are reaffirming our commitment to all of our members. We will do all we can to put an end to the abuse players face on the pitch and online.”
Premier League players to boycott social media in racism protest
Premier League players to boycott social media in racism protest
- England’s black players faced repeated racist chants during their Euro 2020 qualifier in Montenegro
- There have been growing concerns over how football should tackle racism
Meta to charge Arab advertisers extra fee for reaching European audiences
- US tech giant told advertisers it will add fees ranging from 2 to 5 percent on image and video ads delivered on its platforms to offset digital service taxes
- Charges are determined by where the audience is located, not where the advertiser is based
LONDON: Meta will from July 1 impose location-based surcharges on advertisers targeting audiences in six European countries, a move that will directly affect Arab businesses that run campaigns across the continent.
The US tech giant announced it will add fees ranging from 2 to 5 percent on image and video ads delivered on its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, to offset digital service taxes imposed by individual governments.
Crucially, the charges are determined by where the audience is located, not where the advertiser is based.
That means Saudi, Emirati, Egyptian or other Arab companies paying to reach consumers in the UK, France or Italy will face the additional costs regardless of their own country’s tax arrangements with Meta.
Fees will apply at 2 percent for ads reaching UK audiences, 3 percent for France, Italy and Spain, and 5 percent for Austria and Turkiye.
“If you deliver $100 in ads to Italy, where there is a 3% location fee, you will be charged $100 (ad delivery), plus $3 (location fee), for $103 total,” the company wrote in an email to an advertiser initially reported by Bloomberg. “Note that any applicable VAT will be calculated on top of the total amount.”
The taxes have been introduced at different points, starting with France in 2019, though not the EU as a bloc.
Many tech companies report substantial sales in Europe and millions of users but pay minimal tax on profits. The goal is to claw back locally derived economic value, Bloomberg reported.
The move follows similar decisions by Google and Amazon, which have also begun passing European digital tax costs on to advertisers.
For Arab brands with growing European footprints, particularly in fashion, travel, hospitality and media, the new fees add another layer of cost to campaigns already subject to currency and targeting complexities.
Digital services taxes, levied as a percentage of revenues earned by major tech platforms in individual countries, have drawn criticism from Washington, which argues they unfairly target US companies.
Meta has been reached for comments.
