For referees

Making the call shouldn't make you a target.

Fendr removes abuse from your Instagram in real time, whatever the decision, whatever the match, before your audience sees it.

Sign-up takes two minutes. No card needed.

You know what's coming after a controversial call.

By the time the final whistle goes, the comments are already building, from fans of both sides, from people who weren't even at the match. Unlike athletes, referees don't have a fanbase to absorb it. The abuse comes from every direction.

For female referees, there's a layer of misogynistic abuse that has nothing to do with the decision. For referees from ethnic minority backgrounds, racial abuse arrives reliably after any match that gains attention. At grassroots level, the volume is lower but the abuse is no less personal.

The standard advice is to ignore it or stay off social media. Neither is a solution.

By the time you report it, the damage is done.

Reporting abuse to Instagram is the expected next step, and it rarely works, 70% of reported hate speech stays up. (Appeals Centre Europe, 2026) By the time anything is reviewed, a post-match pile-on has already run its course.

Fendr is proactive. It removes abusive comments in real time, before your audience sees them, before they spread, before you have to decide whether to engage. Removing it in real time takes away the visibility that makes pile-ons feel worth joining.

Removing it changes more than you think.

A hate comment left visible on your post doesn't just affect you. It signals to everyone who visits your profile that this space is unmoderated, and that more hate is welcome. Research into online behaviour consistently shows that visible hate shapes the environment and produces more of it, not less.

Removing abusive comments in real time doesn't just protect you from one comment. It changes what your comment section communicates to the thousands of people who see it.

What Fendr does

Fendr removes abusive comments in real time, your audience never sees them. Every comment Fendr acts on is logged in your dashboard, available to review whenever you choose. If Fendr removes something you'd rather keep, you can reinstate it.

Handles post-match pile-ons

When abuse floods in after a controversial decision, Fendr is already working before the volume becomes unmanageable.

Removes identity-based abuse

Racist, misogynistic, and other targeted abuse caught in context, not just by keyword.

Built around you

Fendr understands your identity, the sport you officiate, and the specific abuse you're likely to face.

Full audit trail

Everything logged and reviewable, useful if abuse escalates and you need a record.

Learns over time

Recognises repeat abusers and removes them faster.

Full control, always yours

Switch Fendr on and off whenever you choose.

How it works

Up in minutes.

1

Connect your Instagram

Through Meta's verified integration. Fully secure, takes minutes, and no credentials are ever shared.

2

Tell Fendr who you are

Your content, your identity, the abuse you face. Fendr builds around you, not a generic filter.

3

Stay protected

24/7, automatic, in the background. You focus on the work.

  • 70% of reported hate speech stays up on Instagram after reporting. (Appeals Centre Europe, 2026)
  • During one coordinated attack on a public figure's account, Fendr removed over 3,500 abusive comments in real time, out of 6,300 total. None of them went live.
FAQ

Questions, answered.

Can Fendr handle a post-match pile-on?

Yes. It processes comments in real time, so when a controversial decision triggers a wave of abuse, the harmful comments are removed automatically before they build momentum.

Does it catch racist and misogynistic abuse aimed at officials?

Yes. Fendr reads the context of each comment rather than matching keywords, so it catches identity-based abuse that simple filters miss.

Will it hide fair criticism of a decision?

No. Fendr distinguishes abuse from disagreement, genuine criticism of a call stays visible; hate and harassment are removed.

Which platforms does Fendr support?

Instagram today, with TikTok, X, and YouTube on the way.

Do I stay in control of what gets removed?

Yes. Every action Fendr takes is logged and reviewable in your dashboard, and your corrections teach it what to catch for you.

Protection built around you.

Free for 14 days. No card required. Plans from €49/month. The abuse stops landing, whatever the result.

14-day free trial · cancel anytime · no card to start

Online Abuse Protection for Referees | Fendr