Last summer, organizers of the men's Euros in Germany agreed to make upholding human rights a particular focus during the month-long tournament

European football's governing body UEFA, the German Football Association (DFB), the German government and the German states and cities where matches were held all pledged to prioritize "democracy, respect, equality, and the promotion and protection of human rights" during Euro 2024.

This summer, organizers of the Women's Euros in Switzerland are planning to step up such efforts.

The Swiss government and the other associations and institutions participating in the tournament signed a declaration in March in which they committed themselves to "diversity, equal opportunities, and inclusion in and through sport," as Swiss Sports Minister Viola Amherd put it.

Profiting from Euro 2024

The human rights advisory board for the women's tournament is modeled on the one used in Germany, with non-governmental organizations also represented.

"Building on the experiences of the UEFA Euro 2024 Advisory Board, we also involved representatives from authorities (the Council of Europe and the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs) to ensure a more comprehensive approach to human rights," UEFA told DW in a statement.

Former middle-distance runner Sylvia Schenk of Transparency International Germany was a member of that board.

"It was just the beginning," Schenk told DW. "But it was important. We fought for it for years."

Last year, things were thrown together at the last minute, but as Schenk noted, this isn't the case this time.

"The Human Rights Advisory Board was only convened in May (last year), and we had the first meeting in June [the European Championship began on June 14]. For the Women's European Championship, the body was formed at the beginning of the year."

'A step in the right direction'

Organizers involved the Advisory Board when assessing the risks of human-rights violations at Euro 2025. UEFA, the Swiss FA, and the eight host cities wound up implementing some of the board's suggestions in their planning.

Anyone who feels threatened or discriminated against in the stadiums can report this using a QR code prominently displayed on posters. "Awareness teams" will be available to respond to incidents in the stadiums.

Complaints of human rights violations can also be submitted to UEFA via the tournament app or the website. An independent legal body is to assess the complaints, where appropriate, and pass them on to the authorities.

"Even if these are less comprehensive than desired, this approach is a step in the right direction," Lisa Salza, head of sport and human rights at Amnesty Switzerland told DW.

"Ultimately, it is also important that the rules of conduct for this tournament are clearly visible in the stadium, in the fan zones, and in sensitive locations such as train stations," she said. The message is "zero tolerance for discrimination, racism, and sexual violence."

Outside law firm assesses reports of violations

During Euro 2024, the Frankfurt law firm hired by UEFA to assess such reports dealt with nearly 400 of them. Most of these were political in nature, such as nationalist, right-wing statements, gestures, or symbols attributed to players or fans. Only a small number of cases of sexual harassment and racial discrimination were reported.

Another focus is combating cyberbullying. At last year's tournament, the social media accounts of around 700 players, coaches, and referees were monitored. According to UEFA, 666 offensive posts were reported to the social platforms during the group stage alone. The vast majority of the posts were directed against players, 90% involved hate speech. UEFA estimated the proportion of racist insults at around 5% and homophobic statements at 2.5%.

The picture was quite different at the 2022 Women's European Championship in England, when UEFA first made combating cyberbullying a priority – working in cooperation with META, X, and TikTok. During the final between England and Germany, 189 posts were flagged. Just over half of these were classified as general hate speech and 45% sexism Cases of racism and homophobia accounted for 2% each.

Social media platforms pledge ongoing cooperation

META and X changed their corporate policies following the re-election of US President Donald Trump last year and are now taking less action against hate speech. However, UEFA does not expect this to have a significant impact on the fight against cyberbullying at Euro 2025.

"The social media companies reaffirmed their commitment to working with UEFA and continue to support efforts to protect the game," UEFA said.

Schenk doesn't expect sexism to be more of a problem at this summer's women's tournament than at the men's last year – at least not in the stadiums.

"Not the spectator areas, I don't think, because the mix is ​​different. It's more of a family atmosphere there," she said. "It could play a larger role in the hate comments online."

'Resurgence' of hate speech

However, Salza perceives a "risk of verbal or physical sexualized violence, both in the fan zones and in the stadium, against fans and players. Hate speech and violence emanating from right-wing extremist movements cannot be dismissed, given the resurgence of these forces."

One example of this came at the Eurovision Song Contest hosted by Basel in May, when a right-wing extremist organization attempted to incite hatred against refugees and other migrants.

"Given the multiple crises worldwide and the risk that these will escalate further in the coming weeks, one can assume that there will be further protests and expressions of opinion inside and outside (Euro 2024) stadiums," Salza warned.

"It will be the duty of organizers to adequately protect freedom of expression and assembly, even in this exceptional situation."

This article was originally published in German.