Reports of racist abuse in English football rose by 43% in the 2018/19 season

To optimise for archiving, the original image and related documents associated with this article have been removed.

Football’s equality and inclusion organisation, Kick It Out releases their annual discrimination reporting stats for the 2018/19 season which reveal a 32% rise in incidents across the professional game and grassroots reported to them.

Kick It Out’s annual reporting summary for the 2018/19 season:

  • Reports rose to 422 in 2018/19, up from 319 in the previous year
  • Incidents of racism continue to rise and it remains the most common form of discrimination in both professional and grassroots football - 43% rise from 2017/18
  • Faith-based discrimination, which includes Islamophobia and antisemitism, rose higher than any other across this period, with reports increasing by 75% from 36 to 63
  • Discrimination related to sexual orientation increased by 12% from 61 to 68. Reports related to gender remained at the same level (eight), while disability discrimination reports dropped from 15 to nine
  • In the overall figures, which include social media incidents, discrimination reports increased to 581, a 12% rise from the season before (520)
  • Discrimination reports in the professional game rose by 46 per cent to 313, with an outcome received in 62% of cases
  • The organisation received 159 discrimination reports from social media in 2018/19. Again, the most common form of reported incidents was racism (62%)

Please click here to visit Kick It Out’s reporting statistics. 

You may also like

View All

Pinned Article

Sport Resolutions Annual Conference 2026: Early Bird Tickets Now on Sale

Early Bird tickets for the Sport Resolutions 11th Annual Conference are now available. Join leading sport and legal professionals in London on 7 May 2026 for a full day of discussion, insight, and networking

Read More

Two separate surveys reveal serious sexual safety risks for women in UK sport and high bullying rates among female coaches

Two recent surveys highlight ongoing risks for women in UK sport. In elite sport, 88% of respondents reported experiencing sexual misconduct, with women with disabilities disproportionately affected. Among coaches, women face higher rates of bullying, harassment, and aggression than men, particularly in high-performance settings

Read More

Morocco to take legal action following the Africa Cup of Nations final

Morocco will take legal action following the Africa Cup of Nations final on 18 January in Rabat, Morocco, where opponents Senegal left the pitch to protest a penalty awarded against them following a VAR review, but then returned to win the match 1-0 during extra time

Read More