MORE THAN a thousand incidents of discrimination have been logged by the country’s leading equality football advocacy group, Kick It Out – and making it a record of the highest ever for the football season just passed, 2022-23.
The agency claims to have received reports from the grassroots level, the professional game, and non-league football plus social media.
The report found:
Supporting abuse victims continues to be Kick It Out’s “utmost priority”, according to CEO Tony Burnett.
“The significant increase in reports across the game is alarming,” he said.
“And it 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.”
He has demanded a centralised reporting system as well as the requirement that clubs, leagues, and regulatory organisations exchange their reporting information.
Burnett added: “While we continue to work tirelessly to ‘kick it out’, we call upon fans, clubs, leagues, and governing bodies to help us with this cause, and we are encouraged that the number of reports per incident continues to increase, suggesting that people are becoming less tolerant of discriminatory behaviour and more likely to report abuse when they see it.”
Kick It Out contends that the spike in incidences may also reflect a growth in discrimination awareness among fans and a greater readiness on their part to report it.
But its season-ending analysis highlights how serious the issue is in football.
Kick It Out is a charity organisation works within the football, educational and community sectors to challenge discrimination, encourage inclusive practices, and work for positive change.
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