Reported incidents of discrimination in English football on the rise



The number of complaints dealt with by anti-discrimination group Kick It Out also rose significantly, up 38 per cent to 393.

High-profile incidents during the season included Mario Balotelli receiving a one-match ban for retweeting an image of racial stereotypes, Robert Huth being banned for two matches for taking part in a transgender guessing game on Twitter, and Wigan owner Dave Whelan's six-week ban for remarks he made about Jewish people

It was also revealed that Balotelli had been targeted by 4,000 racist messages on social media.

There were 124 cases reported to the FA and 723 involving the grassroots game

In terms of the FA incidents, 47 cases involved the professional game - of which 11 led to charges - and the rest were crowd-related cases.

Mark Ives, the FA's head of judicial services, said the rise showed people now had confidence in reporting incidents of discrimination.

He said: "The important thing for me is that figures for both reports and convictions continue to rise, as it indicates people have an increased confidence in what constitutes discrimination and how to report it.

"We envisaged this happening two seasons ago when we began to introduce new and clearer procedures for reporting discrimination and dealing with related cases."

"At the higher echelons of the game, isolated incidents still occur on the field, and, off the field, and we continue to work closely with clubs when fans engage in discriminatory chanting.

"The increase in offences being reported is ostensibly a good thing because it demonstrates that the avenues in which to do so are easier to access than ever before and that those reports will be acted upon."

There were 82 reports of racist behaviour reported to the FA compared with 57 the previous season

Of the 23 racist incidents reported in the Premier League, 11 involved just one home or away supporter, five incidents involved two supporters and one incident involved three supporters.

There were 20 incidents of homophobic behaviour reported compared with 19, and nine complaints of sexist behaviour by supporters - four relating to abuse from opposing fans against Chelsea's female team doctor.

Five clubs accepted formal warnings from the FA about incidents involving their fans and clubs have been warned that "significant discriminatory conduct" by supporters is highly likely to lead to formal disciplinary action.

Kick It Out said it had seen a significant increase in the level of incidents reported relating to discrimination based on sexual orientation and on faith - in the latter case all but three being anti-Semitic abuse.

The report also said the FA has reduced the time taken to conclude cases at both professional and grassroots levels.

Lord Herman Ouseley, chair of Kick It Out, said: "It is widely acknowledged that more people are prepared to make reports about discrimination in football due to an increased confidence in the regulatory system investigating complaints thoroughly with the aim of achieving effective outcomes.

"At Kick It Out we are particularly concerned about increasing levels of hate crime in wider society, coupled with perceived worrying levels of prejudice, and how this will impact on the work being done across the game to effect zero tolerance of any aspect of discriminatory conduct and prejudiced attitudes.

"We are urging all authorities and agencies to take action, particularly through education, to tackle this phenomenon in a concerted way, not only for the benefit of football but also for the whole of society in the UK."

Kick It Out said 42 per cent of complaints it received last season related to social media abuse up 16 per cent on the previous season, with social media complaints rising from 142 to 165.

Source : PA

Source: PA