Soccer sites fail accessibility tests

Legal action may result under UK access laws

Web sites created to support the World Cup are not meeting recognised accessibility standards, and may face legal action as a result, according to disability charity AbilityNet.

The two sites reviewed by the charity were the English version of Fifa’s World Cup site and the FA’s World Cup site. AbilityNet carried out a number of tests on the sites, and found that they failed to meet basic accessibility requirements.

AbilityNet warned that such negligence would leave firms exposed under current laws. Although no UK sites have yet to be punished for flouting accessibility rules, the official Sydney Olympics web site was penalised in 2000 under Australian law, so there are precedents.

Robin Christopherson, author of AbilityNet’s report, said, “As well as a moral obligation to make web sites more inclusive, there is also a legal one… It’s been law in the UK since 1999 to ensure that your web site is designed to accessibility standards and it’s only a matter of time before we see successful cases being fought here in the UK.