Kick It Out received a record 1,007 reports of discriminatory behaviour last season, an alarming rise of 65.1% on 2021-22, the organisation has revealed.
The total for the 2022-23 season covers the professional game, grassroots and non-league football plus social media but represents only “a snapshot of what is happening across the game”, according to Kick It Out’s chief executive, Tony Burnett. He has called for a centralised reporting system and for clubs, leagues and governing bodies to be forced to share their reporting data.
Racism remains the most common form of discrimination in professional and grassroots football, accounting for 49.3% of all reports. It accounted for just over half of all reports at grassroots level. The biggest increase by discrimination type last season concerned sexism and misogyny, with reports rising 400%. That figure includes a rise in online abuse towards female players and supporters, from one report in 2021‑22 to 46 last season. Online abuse rose overall by 279%, with 281 reports compared with 74 in 2021-22.
Faith-based discrimination decreased slightly owing to a 29.5% drop in reports of an antisemitic nature, although Islamophobia and sectarian chanting were up in the professional game by 300% and 15.8% respectively. There was also a threefold increase in the number of reports of disability-based abuse within the professional game.
Kick It Out believes the record figures could be attributable to increased awareness of reporting procedures and less tolerance of discriminatory behaviour among fans. But its end-of-season analysis underlines the seriousness of the problem within football.
Burnett said: “The significant increase in reports across the game is alarming and strengthens our resolve to tackle discrimination in all areas of football. Behind each of these statistics is somebody who has sadly experienced discrimination, and supporting the victims of abuse remains Kick It Out’s utmost priority.
“Our figures provide a snapshot of what is happening across the game, but we still don’t know the full picture because clubs, leagues and governing bodies aren’t currently mandated to share their reporting data.
“This underscores why football urgently needs a centralised reporting mechanism to collate and monitor reports. Only once that happens can we understand the full extent of the problem within football and tackle it with the full force of the sport.”
