MORE than 150 incidents of racism related to football have been reported to police last season, it was reported last week.
The latest Home Office figures showed the amount of incidents reported had risen from 98 to 152 between the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. Racism in football has hit the headlines in recent months with alleged incidents taking place at Tottenham, Brighton and Manchester since December.
Last month, a fan received a five-year banning order and a lifetime ban from Manchester City after admitting to using racist language towards Raheem Sterling during a game in December 2018.
A spokesperson for anti-racism charity Kick It Out said: “Racism is both a football and societal issue, and it is clear that we are living in a climate of rising hatred and tribalism across the world. In this country, the situation is no different and the language of division has become normalised within our political debate – and our politicians must take the lead in countering that.”
“In that context, it is no surprise to see a rise in reported incidents in English football. But it is also important to note that racism in the game has now become a far more mainstream topic – which we believe is encouraging supporters to take action and report abuse they see or hear.”
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