- Discrimination reports in English football surged by 25 per cent last season, with anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out recording 1,744 reports of abuse in the 2025-26 campaign, a significant rise from 1,398 the previous year.
- The increase in reported abuse was widespread, with online discrimination reports rising by five per cent, and incidents in both the professional game and at grassroots level seeing a 41 per cent increase.
- Alarming increases were noted across various types of abuse, including an 88 per cent rise in Islamophobia, 46 per cent in homophobia, 43 per cent in anti-Semitism, 19 per cent in racism, 12 per cent in sexism, and 20 per cent in ableism.
- The season also saw a 41 per cent increase in discriminatory mass chanting, reaching a record 142 instances, alongside a concerning rise in anti-immigrant language, with 39 reports of terms like "stop the boats" and "send them back."
- Kick It Out's chief executive, Samuel Okafor, stated that discrimination remains "deeply embedded" in the game, but also highlighted the positive trend of people being more willing to report abuse, while the charity delivered its 500th fan education session with a low reoffending rate.
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Racist and homophobic abuse on the rise in English football as shocking new figures released
