FootyPedia.org is committed to ethical, accurate, and respectful football journalism. Our Ethics Policy establishes the standards that guide our editorial decisions, ensuring we serve the football community with integrity, transparency, and responsibility. This policy is published by Moody Media AB, the operator and publisher of this site.
Core Principle: Every article we publish respects the dignity, privacy, and humanity of every individual—players, coaches, officials, and private citizens. We prioritise fairness, accuracy, and the public interest over profit or sensation.
Privacy Standards
We respect the privacy of all individuals. We will not publish private information—such as home addresses, personal phone numbers, private correspondence, or financial details—without explicit, informed consent from the person concerned or unless it is legally required. We balance the public’s right to know against an individual’s right to privacy, especially when the information is unrelated to football performance or conduct.
Minors and Youth Players Policy
FootyPedia.org treats information about minors (individuals under 18) with the highest level of care. We do not publish personal details of youth players—including home addresses, school names, family details, or unverified performance statistics—without written consent from a parent or legal guardian. We avoid interviews with minors unless accompanied by a responsible adult and with full parental permission. We will not speculate about the future career or transfer prospects of children or teenagers, and we will not amplify publicly available but sensitive data about them.
Rumours and Speculation Policy
We do not publish unconfirmed rumours, gossip, or speculative transfer stories unless they are clearly labelled as such and accompanied by a transparent explanation of the source (e.g., “According to a single anonymous source…”) and a clear statement that the information is unverified. All speculative content must be in the public interest—for example, a rumour that directly affects a club’s financial stability or competitive integrity. We will not use clickbait headlines or manipulative language to suggest false certainty. We will always update or retract speculative content if it proves incorrect.
Injury and Medical Information Policy
We treat injury and medical information as sensitive personal data. We will only publish confirmed medical details—such as injury type, recovery timeline, or treatment—when these have been officially released by the player’s club, national association, or a licensed medical professional acting on behalf of the player. We will never publish unverified medical reports, private health records, or speculation about a player’s mental or physical health. We will not name specific hospitals, clinics, or doctors without explicit consent. We will update medical stories only with official confirmation.
Sensitive Personal Information
We will not publish—without explicit, verifiable consent or a clear legal basis—information about a person’s race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, political opinions, or trade union membership. Where such information is already in the public domain and directly relevant to a football story (e.g., a player’s public advocacy for a cause), we will handle it with care, context, and respect, and never exploit it for sensation or ridicule.
Harassment and Dignity
FootyPedia.org prohibits any content that harasses, bullies, intimidates, or humiliates individuals. We will not publish personal attacks, threats, derogatory language, or disparaging commentary based on personal characteristics. We are committed to maintaining a respectful environment for players, officials, fans, and staff. We will remove any user-generated content that violates this standard and may take further action where appropriate.
Fairness and Right of Reply
Where an article makes a serious allegation or criticism about an individual or organisation, we will make reasonable efforts to contact them for comment before publication. We will offer a fair opportunity to respond, and we will publish that response—or a substantive summary—unless it is defamatory or legally unsafe. In cases where an individual declines to comment, we will state this clearly. We will not ambush individuals with requests for comment in private settings.
Corrections and Accountability
We are committed to correcting errors promptly and transparently. If we publish inaccurate information, we will issue a correction with a clear explanation of what was wrong and what has been corrected. Major errors will be noted at the top of the affected article. For our full process, see our Corrections Policy. We encourage readers to report errors via corrections@footypedia.org.
Image Use and Attribution Standards
All images on FootyPedia.org are used either under licence, with permission, or under fair use principles for editorial and educational purposes. We clearly attribute every image to its creator or rights holder—including the photographer, agency, or club, where known—either in a caption or in an adjacent credit line. We do not alter images in ways that misrepresent the subject or context, except for standard cropping or minor adjustments for layout. We will remove any image upon the rightful copyright holder’s request if our use is not authorised.
Avoiding Invasive Speculation
We will not speculate about players’ private lives, relationships, mental health, family matters, or personal finances unless these are directly and officially confirmed to be relevant to a legitimate football story. We avoid intrusion into grief, illness, or trauma. We will not publish photographs taken without consent in private spaces (e.g., players at home, in hospitals, or in grief). We will err on the side of caution and compassion.
Respect for Players, Clubs, Officials and Private Individuals
All individuals covered in our content—whether public figures or private citizens—shall be treated with respect and dignity. We will not publish material that is defamatory, malicious, or deliberately damaging. We recognise that players and officials are entitled to a private life outside their professional roles. We will not target, mock, or shame individuals for things unrelated to football, including appearance, speech, or personal choices. We will consider the potential harm before publishing any story involving a vulnerable person.
This Ethics Policy is reviewed regularly by Moody Media AB. For questions or concerns, contact editorial@footypedia.org or legal@footypedia.org. For reporting errors, use our corrections page or corrections@footypedia.org.