A professional footballer faces racial abuse from FIFA 23 players over his Team of the Season card, highlighting toxicity in gaming communities.
The Incident: From Pack Opening to Online Harassment
The competitive drive to assemble the ultimate squad in FIFA 23’s Ultimate Team mode took a dark and unacceptable turn for professional footballer Jonson Clarke-Harris. The Peterborough United striker and League One joint-top scorer became the target of vile racial abuse, not for his on-pitch performance, but for his digital representation in the game.
A star forward found himself attacked on social media after FIFA players expressed fury at unpacking his Team of the Season (TOTS) card in their digital packs.
FIFA Ultimate Team is built on the thrill of the pack opening, a system where chance determines which player cards users receive. While disappointment at not getting a top-rated meta player is common, a toxic segment of the community misdirects this frustration. Instead of criticizing the game’s random number generator (RNG) or publisher EA Sports, they launch personal attacks against the real-life athlete depicted on the card.
Clarke-Harris experienced this firsthand. On June 28, the club captain took to Instagram to share screenshots of the direct message abuse he was receiving, condemning the attacks publicly. He provided a window into the hateful messages landing in his inbox, all stemming from his inclusion in the TOTS promotion.
One user, whose message was captured and shared by the account fanbanter, wrote a profanity-laced demand for the player to “get out of my TOTS pack,” followed by a barrage of racist monkey emojis—a long-standing, dehumanizing trope used against Black athletes. Another questioned his worthiness for the TOTS selection before launching into a tirade of explicit racial slurs.
In his post, Clarke-Harris expressed reluctance about sharing such graphic content, noting that many young fans follow his account. However, he felt compelled to expose the perpetrators. “There becomes a point where these people need to be exposed,” he stated, “and everyone needs to understand the level of racism me and other ethnic players receive over a football game.” His action highlights a critical choice faced by public figures: endure abuse privately or risk amplifying ugly content to spark a necessary conversation.
Understanding the Problem: Why Toxicity Targets Players
This incident is not an isolated outburst but a symptom of deeper issues within gaming culture and the psychology of monetized game mechanics. Understanding why this happens is the first step toward prevention.
The loot box model, central to FIFA Ultimate Team, creates a potent cocktail of investment, anticipation, and frustration. Players spend real or earned currency for a chance at a desirable player. When the result is perceived as poor value—like getting a lower-league TOTS card instead of a global superstar—that frustration needs an outlet. For some, the abstract “game system” is not a satisfying target; the human face on the card becomes a tangible scapegoat.
This is compounded by the anonymity and physical distance of online interaction. Sending a hateful DM feels consequence-free, divorcing the abuser from the real human impact. The athlete transforms from a person into a mere digital asset that “ruined” their pack. This dehumanization is a prerequisite for such abuse.
Common Mistake: Believing toxicity is “just part of the game” or that athletes should “have thicker skin.” This normalizes abusive behavior and shifts responsibility from the perpetrator to the victim. The real-world mental health impact on athletes receiving constant abuse is significant and well-documented.
Optimization Tip for Advanced Communities: Proactive community moderation is key. While developers implement reporting tools, player-led initiatives like promoting positive messaging when unpacking lower-rated cards, or calling out abuse in forums, can shift community norms. Recognizing that the player on the card is a real person with social media feeds is a basic but often overlooked aspect of digital ethics.
The real-world stakes for the athlete are high. Beyond the emotional distress, such abuse can affect sponsorship opportunities, personal brand perception, and overall well-being. For Clarke-Harris, his achievement of a TOTS card—an honor reflecting an excellent season—was tainted by this harassment, turning a recognition of success into a source of conflict.
Broader Context: Racism in Football and Gaming
The abuse aimed at Clarke-Harris exists at the intersection of two arenas with longstanding struggles against racism: professional football and online gaming.
Football has a painful and persistent history of racism, from terrace chants to online abuse directed at players after missed penalties or transfers. Governing bodies like the FA and FIFA have implemented anti-racism protocols, but enforcement, especially online, remains a challenge. The same tropes and insults used in stadiums decades ago have simply migrated to Instagram DMs and Twitter replies.
The gaming world, meanwhile, has been repeatedly criticized for toxic communities where racist, sexist, and homophobic language is prevalent. The competitive and anonymous nature of online play often lowers inhibitions. When a game like FIFA, which mirrors real-world sports and its social issues, becomes a venue for this toxicity, the abuse can feel particularly pointed and personal for the athletes involved.
This is not the first time such an overlap has occurred. Other footballers have spoken out about receiving abuse related to their FIFA ratings or in-game performance. Each case raises the same questions about the responsibility of game publishers to protect the individuals whose likenesses they profit from, and the efficacy of platform-level reporting tools on social media sites.
The question now is whether EA Sports will or can take action. Can they link the Instagram accounts sharing the abuse to specific FIFA Ultimate Team accounts and issue bans? What is their protocol when a licensed athlete reports harassment stemming directly from their representation in the game? The developer’s response, or lack thereof, will set a precedent for how such cases are handled in the future.
Pathways to Resolution and Player Safety
Addressing this multifaceted problem requires action from developers, platforms, communities, and the athletes themselves. A multi-layered approach is necessary to deter abuse and support victims.
Practical Strategy for EA Sports: The publisher should establish a clear, confidential channel for licensed athletes to report in-game-related harassment. This goes beyond standard player support. Upon verification, EA should enact hardware or account bans for offenders, demonstrating that abuse targeting real-world individuals will not be tolerated. Furthermore, they could implement in-game educational prompts about sportsmanship when opening packs or interacting with player items.
Community Accountability: Players can utilize in-game reporting functions for abusive chat and advocate for positive community behavior. Content creators and influencers have a powerful role in setting norms—celebrating all TOTS cards as achievements, for example, can help reframe their value.
Strategies for Public Figures: For athletes like Clarke-Harris, options include: 1) Using robust filtering tools on social platforms to block keywords and phrases, 2) Delegating DM monitoring to a management team or agency to avoid direct exposure, 3) Working with platform safety teams to fast-track reports of racial abuse, and 4) Continuing to speak out publicly, as visibility is a powerful deterrent and creates pressure for systemic change.
The ultimate goal is to break the link between game mechanics frustration and real-world racial harassment. This requires acknowledging that the digital and physical selves of athletes are connected. A player’s card is not just a collection of stats; it’s a licensed representation of a person who can read the comments. Creating a gaming environment that respects that humanity is an ongoing challenge for developers and the community alike.
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No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » FIFA 23 players racially abuse pro because he was in their TOTS packs A professional footballer faces racial abuse from FIFA 23 players over his Team of the Season card, highlighting toxicity in gaming communities.