A Record Season for Discrimination Reports
Kick It Out recorded 1,744 reports of discrimination across professional and grassroots football during the 2025‑26 season, a 41 percent jump from the previous year. Online complaints rose five percent, pushing the total number of incidents to a level not seen since the organization began tracking such data.
Racist abuse accounted for 45 percent of the submissions, while sexism, homophobia, antisemitism, ableism and Islamophobia each hit record highs. Anti‑immigrant language appeared in 39 separate reports, and abusive messages toward match officials climbed to 97 cases, more than a third of which targeted women officials.
The fallout was not limited to abstract statistics. High‑profile players including Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana and Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri were among those targeted by online trolls. Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Tolu Arokodare and Sunderland winger Romaine Mundle also received racist messages, while Tottenham Hotspur reported racist abuse directed at defender Kevin Danso to London’s Metropolitan Police.
In response, the Premier League and the English Football Association announced a suite of measures aimed at curbing the problem. Tougher sanctions for clubs that fail to act quickly, expanded monitoring of social‑media activity and mandatory education programmes for players and officials are now part of the sport’s governance framework.
Kick It Out chief executive Marc Reeves said the organization will continue to press social‑media firms for greater transparency and accountability. "We cannot allow the sport’s most visible platforms to remain a breeding ground for hate," Reeves said in a statement, adding that the group will work closely with both the Premier League and the English FA to enforce the new policies.