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Valloni / News  / FIGHTING RACISM IN FOOTBALL IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
13 May 2026

FIGHTING RACISM IN FOOTBALL IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

It is sad to report, but racism in football in the United Kingdom (UK) continues to be a serious issue, with reports of abuse at both the professional and grassroots levels of the game, which have reached high levels in 2026.

These reports often involve online hate and spectator behaviour.

Whilst organisations, such as ‘Kick It Out’ which has worked, for many years, within the football, educational and community sectors to challenge discrimination, encourage inclusive practices and work for positive change, increased incidents have been reported. These include a 279% rise in reported online abuse in recent times, and football continues to face a “significant” and ongoing problem, with 82% of minority fans viewing racism as a serious issue.

Racism in football continues to be the most common form of discrimination and accounts for almost 50% of all reported incidents, including recent and high-profile arrests at matches.

Criminal complaints of online racist abuse have also seen a significant increase, with recent trends showing hundreds of referrals per season, often targeting players on platforms such as Facebook and X.

Again, incidents of racism continue to occur inside stadiums, with reports indicating that nearly 3 in 10 UK adults have witnessed racist chanting at football matches.

Not surprisingly, English football clubs and the Football Association and the Premier League have been adopting a “zero-tolerance” approach, which often leads to arrests and stadium bans.

Mention may be made of some recent cases.

In May of this year, a spectator was removed and police investigated allegations of a coach being subjected to racist abuse during a play-off match between Billericay Town and Brentwood Town.

Also in the same month, a 71-year-old man was arrested after allegedly shouting racist abuse at an English Premier League match between Everton and Manchester City.

During the 2025-2026 season, data from the UK Football Policing Unit has revealed a “depressing” surge in online hate crimes, with many cases satisfying the threshold for criminal proceedings.

Finally, it may also be mentioned that, apart from ‘Kick It Out’, mentioned above, the following organisations are also actively involved in fighting racism in football in the UK:

  • No Room for Racism: A long-term campaign by the English Premier League aimed at fighting discrimination in all areas of the game, including coaching staff and members of the boardroom.
  • Show Racism the Red Card: An educational charity that works with players and community groups to fight racism.

Despite all the above-mentioned efforts, the persistence of incidents reveals that, whilst awareness has certainly increased, the problem of racism in football in the UK is far from being resolved!

We act in all cases of discrimination in sport, including incidents of racism in football in the UK and elsewhere, and further information may be obtained from our International Sports Law Consultant, Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw, and our Managing Partner, Dr Lucien Valloni, by emailing them at blackshaw@valloni.ch and valloni@valloni.ch respectively.

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