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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Jim van Wijk

Arsenal ban nine fans for abusive behaviour as club vows to continue fight against discrimination

Nine fans were banned during the 2025-26 season - (Getty)

Arsenal chief executive Richard Garlick has vowed to continue to fight against all forms of discrimination following stadium bans and football banning orders issued to nine fans throughout the 2025-26 campaign.

Ahead of the upcoming domestic season, the reigning Premier League champions released the figures on Tuesday.

The disciplinary steps were prompted by offences including assault, homophobia, racism, antisemitism alongside "other abusive or intimidating behaviour".

The banning orders range from one to three years, with the individuals barred from attending any matches involving Arsenal.

Furthermore, the north London club revealed they are aiding police with 13 additional ongoing enquiries into alleged in-person or online offences, with suspects who "remain subject to the club’s disciplinary processes pending the outcome of any case".

Through a partnership with data science firm Signify Group, the club identified over 17,700 messages and comments classed as "abusive directed at individuals and accounts connected to us", marking a sharp rise compared to the previous year.

Richard Garlick has vowed to continue the fight against discrimination (Getty)
Richard Garlick has vowed to continue the fight against discrimination (Getty)

Out of 267 completed investigations, 39 people were identified and passed to Arsenal or rival clubs for disciplinary measures, with nine cases formally escalated to law enforcement agencies.

The club stated this partnership will "continue to identify offenders, report abusive content to social media platforms and pursue action where individuals are found to have crossed the line".

In a statement on the official website, Garlick said: "This season gave us many moments to be proud of and showed once again the role football can play in bringing people together.

"The overwhelming majority of our supporters help make Arsenal a welcoming, inclusive and respectful place to be. Those standards are a big part of who we are, shaping the experience people have when they come to Arsenal, and how we represent our club around the world.

"Abuse and discrimination have no place at Arsenal, whether in our stadium or online.

"While these incidents involve a small minority, we will continue to take action when they happen, while doing everything we can to protect our players, staff, supporters and communities."

Arsenal will continue pre-season preparations on Wednesday against Italian outfit Como, managed by former Gunners midfielder Cesc Fabregas, before facing FA Cup winners Manchester City in Cardiff for the Community Shield on Sunday.

New arrival Bruno Guimaraes could feature following his £75 million move from Newcastle as boss Mikel Arteta fine-tunes plans for their title defence, which begins against newly promoted Coventry at home on 21 August.

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