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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Paul MacInnes

Research reveals racist chants on rise in Israeli football – with Maccabi Tel Aviv the worst offenders

Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in the stands before their Europa League clash with Ajax last season, a match marred by disorder
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in the stands before their Europa League clash with Ajax last season, a match marred by disorder. Photograph: Robin van Lonkhuijsen/EPA

Racist chanting by Israeli football fans grew rapidly over the past year, data shows, with Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters the most likely to engage in discriminatory behaviour. The research was conducted by Kick It Out Israel, which is funded by a civil society organisation, Givat Haviva, that works towards the “creation of a shared society for Jews and Arabs”.

It found 367 instances of racist chanting at Israeli Premier League (IPL) matches in the 2024-25 season, a record total and an increase of 67% on the previous campaign.

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