What Can Players And Clubs Do About 'AI Slop'?
By.
Dale Johnson
Football issues reporter
2 March 2026
506 Comments
You do not need to look far on social media to find images and videos of footballers in unlikely or unusual circumstances.
Scroll through TikTok and you might soon come across Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo cutting each other's hair, or boarding the Titanic in Edwardian gown. You might even see Kylian Mbappe on a ski-lift with a turtle.
This is the result of the rapid development of synthetic intelligence (AI). Or, more exactly, AI 'slop'.
AI can be asked to provide practically anything. By anybody. The tools are becoming ever more sophisticated and easily available.
It will end up being even harder to identify what is real and what is, in AI terms, deepfake.
It might appear, for the many part, like safe fun. After all, who really believes Messi and Ronaldo have been serving burgers?
But exists a point at which gamers and clubs will try to draw the line?
Options are limited for gamers to do something about it
As football has become a business juggernaut, gamers and clubs have had to find out how to look after their brand names.
That could be by safeguarding the club crest or challenging making use of a gamer's name in unauthorised promotional product.
Take Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer, who has trademarked the term 'Cold Palmer' with the UK government's Intellectual Property Office. The 23-year-old did the very same with his name, autograph and signature 'shivering' event.
Creating defenses is something. Having the ability to tackle this brand-new AI world of ruthless content is another.
In the UK there is limited legislation covering somebody's similarity. Or, as it is hired football, image rights.
Jonty Cowan, legal director at law office Wiggin LLP, told BBC Sport that AI was presenting "great deals of novel obstacles".
" Various governments around the globe are trying to figure out ... how do we react to AI?" said Cowan.
AI is being utilized to put gamers into real-life scenarios, as well as those more obviously phony.
Take the unveilings of Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi by Manchester City in January.
The club's official photographs show each player with director of football Hugo Viana. Yet before those photos had actually even been taken, you could find AI pictures of Semenyo and Guehi signing a contract along with manager Pep Guardiola.
There was another of Semenyo being greeted at the training centre by former gamer Yaya Toure, whose old squad number - 42 - he was expected to take.
None of these occasions happened, but it was impossible to tell the photos were phony.
Last month, an image appeared of Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick with Frank Ilett - the supporter who will not cut his hair till the Red Devils win five video games in a row.
Once again, it did not take place however looks so realistic.
And Cowan said it was tough for there to be any option when content is presented "in a non-contentious way".
Unless an individual has suffered industrial or reputational damage, options are restricted.
" It's always been quite challenging for an individual to enforce IP rights," . "If it is a deepfake that is showing them in a jeopardizing position, let's state, that's various."
The Data (Use and Access) Act entered into force last month, making it a criminal offence to produce, share or demand a raunchy deepfake.
But then you have AI-generated videos such as Celtic's Luke McCowan punching an assistant referee. Could it damage his track record, or is it simply not believeable?
A more important issue for gamers may be 'passing off'. This is where somebody unfairly associates their own services or products with the credibility and goodwill of an established brand name or business - or player.
It is intended to misinform consumers into believing they connected to it - to the detriment of the recognized brand name.
Cowan discussed that in December 2024, as part of an AI-related assessment, the UK government stated it was considering "introducing some type of personality right".
That would provide a player more scope to act.
Clubs, for their part, have a few more alternatives open to them.
Social media accounts putting gamers in the shirts of their brand-new group - or any team - is nothing brand-new.
But what if a club desired to disagree?
" Where you have actually got, for example, the Man City kit they might take a look at other IP rights," Cowan said.
" Have they infringed the trademark in their crest? Or style rights in their t-shirt? For that type of image, that's what a club or an individual would likely be taking a look at."
BBC Sport understands City believe fans understand official channels remain the only places to choose any real news, images or videos.
But as the lines blur further, will clubs keep that position?
Tackling platforms more realistic than court action
While clubs and gamers may consider taking the developers of AI images to court, it is a long and costly battle.
Cowan says there is a quicker and more affordable path: challenge the platforms directly.
" The Online Safety Act has been presented in the UK just recently, and that is putting a commitment on platforms to tackle unlawful content," he included.
" It may well be that we will see more mechanisms that platforms will present to have that content removed. Often, that is the simplest and quickest method to take on these images."
This could cause a growth in business taking care of the digital rights of clubs and players.
Those that currently exist scrape websites and apps - using AI, of course - to recognize where a business's copyright or an individual's image may have been used.
They can request takedowns, effectively taking on the use of AI without the affected celebrations getting directly involved.
Bad actors might utilize AI for nefarious means
AI presents opportunities along with issues. Adverts and promotional product can be produced without gamers even needing to leave their homes.
But alongside the authentic AI-generated adverts, it is simple for unauthorised celebrations to take a player's likeness and utilize it to promote their business.
Last year the oversight board that runs Meta's appeals process banned an advert for a gaming app on Facebook, external that was developed using AI.
It featured a manipulated video of previous Brazil striker Ronaldo which imitated his voice. It was not picked up by Meta's automated detection tools.
Meta was told to create "quickly identifiable signs that identify AI content" to avoid "substantial amounts of rip-off content".
It was a prime example of a platform being challenged and required to act.
The Football Association has had to take on controversy, too.
England head coach Gareth Southgate was targeted throughout Euro 2024. Fake AI-generated interviews revealed Southgate making negative remarks about his players.
The videos were reported and taken down. They were found to have actually breached TikTok's AI-generated policy, which forbids content that "falsely reveals public figures in particular contexts".
But by that point, the videos had been viewed and shared by millions of people.
Should users be forced to state they have utilized AI?
Scrolling through apps today, it is uncommon for anybody to suggest AI has been used.
That is even with TikTok's neighborhood standards asking users to "label sensible AI-generated content" and banning content considered to "harmfully misguide or impersonate others".
Cowan believes there is unlikely to be any major change to legislation, but platforms might be given tougher rules.
" There are openness requirements under the EU AI Act," Cowan described, with the act not covering the UK.
" Under marketing guidelines, influencers have to disclose where a video they produce has been sponsored.
" I think we may wind up with comparable transparency requirements. A little '#AI produced' or similar label in the corner."
The problem will be whether developers care, and how simple enforcement is for platforms.
Cowan added: "If you have actually got those egregious videos, where someone's putting out a hideous deepfake, they're not going to fret about adding that label."
In the meantime, a minimum of, it seems clubs are not too concerned - that AI is just something taking place on social media.
There might come a point they decide more action is required.