FIFA wants to "crack down" on broadcasters picking out "hot women" in the crowd at games "as part of its efforts to tackle sexism in football," according to the PA. Pre-tournament concerns that Russia 2018 "would be tarnished by homophobia and racism" have not materialized, "but sexism has been an issue." Anti-discrimination group Fare Network has been working with FIFA to monitor behavior at and around World Cup games. Exec Dir Piara Powar said that sexism has been the "biggest problem at Russia 2018." Speaking at a press conference on diversity issues before England’s semifinal against Croatia, Powar said that his team has "documented more than 30 cases" of mainly Russian women being "accosted in the streets" by male fans, but believes the real number of incidents is likely to be "10 times this." He also said that there have been "several cases of female reporters being grabbed or kissed whilst on air." When asked "what FIFA could do to tackle this," FIFA Head of Corporate Social Responsibility Federico Addiechi said that the organization has been working with the local organizers and Russian police "to identify these fans." He added that FIFA told its broadcast service to stop zooming in on "hot women" in the crowd and "has been monitoring" what the various national rights holders have been doing, too (PA, 7/11).
