Discrimination remains “deeply embedded” in English football, according to the chief executive of Kick It Out, after reports of abuse jumped by 25 per cent last season.
The anti-discrimination charity logged 1,744 reports during the 2025-26 campaign, a sizeable increase from 1,398 in the previous year. For the first time, the number of separate incidents went past 1,000, climbing to 1,255.
Kick It Out explained that although one incident can lead to several reports, the reports-per-incident ratio across the season was 1.39. The rise was broad-based, affecting different platforms and all levels of the sport.
Reports of online discrimination increased by five per cent to 650, while incidents in the professional game and at grassroots level both rose by 41 per cent, reaching 636 and 458 reports respectively.
The charity’s figures showed worrying growth across every form of abuse. Reports of Islamophobia rose by 88 per cent, homophobia by 46 per cent, and anti-Semitism by 43 per cent. Racism reports were up 19 per cent, sexism by 12 per cent, and ableism by 20 per cent.
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Kick It Out chief executive Samuel Okafor commented on the latest figures (Handout pic from Kick It Out/PA)
Samuel Okafor, Kick It Out’s chief executive, said: “These figures show that discrimination remains deeply embedded across the game at a time when we’re also seeing rises in hate crime and divisive political rhetoric in Britain. But they also show that people are more willing to stand up to abuse when they see it, and it’s encouraging to see professional players set that example last season.”
Mr Okafor added: “While we recognise that there is a lot of good work ongoing in football to tackle discrimination, we will continue to work with football authorities, clubs, leagues, regulators and Government to ensure we match the courage shown to report abuse with clear and consistent action so that football is welcoming to everyone.”
The season also recorded a 41 per cent rise in reports of discriminatory mass chanting, taking the total to a record 142 instances. That included increases in racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, and ableist chants.
In addition, Kick It Out pointed to a worrying increase in anti-immigrant language, with phrases such as “stop the boats” and “send them back” reported at every level. The 39 reports of this kind in 2025-26 was more than the 37 recorded in the previous two years combined.
Even with those alarming numbers, Kick It Out still marked an important milestone during the season, completing its 500th fan education session for people found to have discriminated in football, with a reoffending rate of only 1.25 per cent.
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