According to the latest data from Kick It Out, the anti-discrimination and inclusion agency.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The football world saw a 32% increase in incidents involving discriminatory verbal abuse last season, with 1,332 related reports recorded at all levels of soccer and on social media.
Racism still accounts for the largest number of all discrimination cases, at 47%. The exact figure increased from 496 cases in the 2022/23 season to 731 cases. Based on personal beliefs
Incidents of discrimination
It also rose by 34 percent, mainly due to growing anti-Semitism and Islamophobic behavior.
Reports of discrimination against specific players soared from 277 to 395, a 43 percent increase, the highest number recorded by the Kick It Out organization. Of these, 55% of the cases of verbal abuse were directed at players from East Asian backgrounds. Meanwhile, incidents of sexism and misogyny against female footballers rose by 44%.
Kick It Out Chairman Sanjay Bhandari said, "These figures highlight the seriousness of the problem of discrimination in soccer. The reports we have received have more than doubled in the last two seasons. It is deeply worrying to see a dramatic increase in the number of reports. However, we believe this increase could also be due to a lower tolerance of discrimination amongst fans and a greater awareness of the reporting process."
Last season, Kick It Out delivered a record 117 fan education sessions and Youth Academy education to more than 2,000 players, coaches and staff from 42 clubs. They also employed coach educators to provide grassroots coaches with the skills to address unconscious bias and developed a partnership with match officials' body PGMOL.
For the 2nd season in a row, reports of mass anti-gay songs have dropped from 43 to 17. Sanjay Bhandari continued, "It is encouraging to see that we have seen increased penalties for racial discrimination in recent years. However, what we need to see now is better coordination between soccer authorities and stakeholders to ensure better aftercare for victims across the game, especially on social media where too much discriminatory abuse is still not dealt with well."
