Kick It Out records 1,744 discrimination cases in 2025/26 season

English football’s fight against discrimination has suffered a setback after Kick It Out recorded 1,744 reports of abuse during the 2025/26 season — a 25 per cent rise on the previous campaign and the highest total in the charity’s history. The figures expose a game where racism, sexism, homophobia and other forms of prejudice are not only persisting but accelerating, despite years of campaigns and pledges from authorities.

Where the abuse is happening — and how fast it’s growing

The surge was felt across every tier of the sport. Professional football saw a 41 per cent jump in reports to 636, while grassroots football — often seen as football’s beating heart — recorded 458 cases, also up 41 per cent. Online abuse, tracked separately, rose by five per cent to 650 reports, underscoring how digital platforms remain a toxic echo chamber for discriminatory behaviour.

Racism remained the most reported form of discrimination, accounting for 792 cases — 45 per cent of the total. But other categories also hit record highs since Kick It Out expanded its reporting scope five years ago: homophobia rose 46 per cent to 203 reports, antisemitism climbed 43 per cent to 93, and Islamophobia surged 88 per cent to 60. Sexism increased by 12 per cent, while reports of ableism grew by 20 per cent. Reports of discriminatory mass chanting jumped 41 per cent to 142, with sexist abuse targeting female match officials forming more than a third of those cases.

Anti-immigrant language also entered the frame, with 39 reports using phrases such as “stop the boats” and “send them back” — more than the combined total of the previous two seasons. Discriminatory abuse towards match officials rose sharply too, with 97 reports matching the total from the previous three seasons combined.

Players and fans speak out — but systems fail to match their courage

Umar Ali, a player for semi-professional side Route One Rovers in Bradford, experienced first-hand how deep-seated the problem remains. During a Ramadan fixture last season, he was racially abused by opposition supporters in their sixties. One told him to shave his beard off and called him a paedophile; another picked up a child and made a crude remark about Umar’s wife. The assistant referee heard the comments and alerted the referee, but Umar says no action was taken on the day. Police were eventually contacted and spectators were identified, yet Umar has still not been told of any outcome.

His manager, Mohammed Patel, said the opposition coaching staff apologised on behalf of their fans, but the episode highlights a pattern: too often, the courage to report abuse is not met with the will to enforce consequences. Kick It Out’s chief executive, Samuel Okafor, said the figures show discrimination is “deeply embedded” in English football at a time when hate crime and divisive political rhetoric are rising across Britain. “People are more willing to stand up to abuse when they see it,” Okafor said, “and it’s encouraging to see professional players set that example last season.” Yet he stressed that reporting alone is not enough without robust, consistent sanctions.

Calls for stronger action — but will football listen this time?

Kick It Out is demanding tougher penalties, and Okafor suggested new sanctions could be introduced “in the next few weeks.” The charity’s frustration reflects a broader impatience: despite repeated pledges from leagues, clubs and regulators, discriminatory behaviour continues to rise. The data shows that existing measures have not matched the scale of the problem.

Football’s governing bodies have long promised change, but the latest figures suggest those promises have amounted to little more than gestures. The surge in reports — including a 41 per cent rise in discriminatory chanting and a doubling of anti-immigrant language — points to a culture where prejudice is normalised in stadiums and online. With incidents now exceeding 1,000 for the first time, the question is no longer whether football has a discrimination crisis, but whether it has the political and moral will to treat it like one.

For players like Umar Ali, the wait for justice continues. For football authorities, the time for action is now — before the next season compounds these grim statistics into an irreversible stain on the game’s reputation.

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