Majority of faith based discrimination in football is antisemitic

New figures released by the anti-discrimination in football campaign, Kick It Out,  shows a rise of 21% in the number of incidents in football of discriminatory language and an increase in the number of complaints received. The figures show that 57% of incidents reported relate to racial abuse, whilst the other incidents relate to abuse based on sexual orientation, faith, sexism and abuse targeting disabled people. Of the faith based discrimination, the majority of incidents reported were antisemitic in nature, with three reports of Islamophobia. The Chairman of the Kick It Out campaign, Lord Ouseley, blamed the rise on the increasingly negative rhetoric surrounding immigration and minorities.

The Guardian reported:

“Reports of alleged racist and other discriminatory abuse made to the Football Association last season rose sharply to 887 incidents at all levels of the game, a 21% increase on the number reported to the governing body in 2013-14. Football’s anti-discrimination campaign Kick It Out also received a large increase in incidents reported to it: 393 last season, a 38% rise from the 284 in 2013-14. Most of the alleged incidents reported to Kick It Out, 57%, related to racial abuse, the organisation said, while the FA also confirmed that: “Offences relating to race continue to dominate at both professional and grass roots levels.”

 Lord Herman Ouseley reacted to the figures:

“There is a lot of misinformation around, and the tone of the immigration discussion and austerity atmosphere, in which groups of people are depicted as being a swarm, bringing problems, coming to Britain for benefits, is feeding into people’s prejudices. We are seeing that reflected in football, although procedures are improving and people know they can’t get away with very much. David Cameron, and all politicians and public figures, have a duty to give leadership on how they speak about these issues, otherwise hatred will explode.”

 Read the full Guardian report here.