Tuesday 27 November 2018 23:34, UK
Reports of discriminatory abuse in English football have risen for the sixth consecutive year, new figures show.
Kick It Out, football's equality and inclusion organisation, received a total of 520 reports of abuse during the 2017-18 season, an increase of 11 per cent from 469 in 2016-17.
Racism constituted 53 per cent of those reports, up 22 per cent from the previous year, while disability discrimination rose higher than any other, from 14 reports to 29 (a 107 per cent increase).
Ten per cent of all reports concerned antisemitism, while reports of homophobia rose by nine per cent. Transphobia was also recorded for the first time (six reports).
Football cannot be complacent about the risk to the game this represents... the professional leagues and their clubs must do more in a coherent and consistent way... to drive hateful and abusive spectators out of the game.
The reports of discrimination came from Premier League, English Football League (EFL), Women's Super League, non-league and grassroots fixtures, as well as football-related messages on social media.
Cases reported at EFL matches have risen by 30 per cent, and across the entire professional game there was a 10 per cent increase overall from 194 in 2016-17 to 214 in 2017-18.
Grassroots discrimination reports rose by 35 per cent across the same period, with racism (71 per cent) and disability (33 per cent) the most common forms of discrimination reported.
Kick It Out chairman, Lord Ouseley, said: "It is hugely disappointing to have to reveal, yet again, increasing levels of all forms of discriminatory abuse at football.
"While the increased reports reflect a greater inclination among fans to complain about unacceptable abuse, these trends reflect, in part, what is happening in the rest of society. Hate crime reports have doubled over the last year to more than 94,000.
"Football cannot be complacent about the risk to the game this represents. Much good work has, and is, being done to prevent and counter unacceptable behaviour. But, the professional leagues and their clubs must do more in a coherent and consistent way - exemplifying all the best practices applied by some clubs - to drive hateful and abusive spectators out of the game.
"Equally, The FA and its county associations, as well as local leagues, must step up their actions to ensure compliance and enforcement at grassroots level."
