Kick It Out, football’s equality and inclusion
organisation, is calling for action with reports of discrimination on the rise
in English football.
On Wednesday, Kick It Out divulged statistics
that showed a significant rise of discrimination reports at the midway stage of
the 2017-18 season. The organisation received more than 300 reports relating to
282 incidents of abuse by the end of 2017, marking an increase of 59 percent
from the same period in the previous campaign. Those incidents cover the
professional game, grassroots football, and social media.
Racist behaviour was once again the highest
form of discrimination, accounting for 54 percent of the reports. Homophobia,
biphobia, and transphobia made up 22 percent, and antisemitism comprised 9
percent.
Type of discrimination:
– Race – 151 reports
– Homophobia, biphobia, transphobia – 63
reports
– Antisemitism – 25 reports
– Disability – 19 reports
– Sexism – 17 reports
– Anti-Muslim hatred – 7 reports
Lord Ouseley, chair of Kick It Out, called on
football authorities to increase their efforts in tackling discriminatory
behaviour, saying: “Our latest statistics reveal a significant increase in
incidents of discrimination in football, which should act as a wake-up call to
everyone in the sport. The spike in these midseason reporting statistics come
against the backdrop of rising hatred in our society, as recently shown in
Community Security Trust’s publication of reported antisemitic incidents. These
pieces of evidence indicate there is no place for complacency when it comes to
challenging prejudice.
