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Sport: SoccerCategory: Transactions

Discriminatory abuse reports rise in English football during 2025-26 season

Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Jul 28, 2026, 9:30 PM

Last updated Jul 28, 2026

Discriminatory abuse reports rise in English football during 2025-26 season
Summary

Reports of racist and homophobic abuse in English football increased by 25 percent during the 2025-26 season, with a total of 1,744 incidents reported, according to the charity Kick It Out. The number of distinct incidents exceeded 1,000 for the first time, reaching 1,255. Online discrimination saw a five percent rise to 650 reports, and both professional and grassroots levels experienced a 41 percent increase. Significant jumps were noted in Islamophobia (88 percent rise) and homophobia (46 percent rise). Kick It Out's chief executive Samuel Okafor stressed the need for consistent action against discrimination in the sport.

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Yahoo Sports
Key Details
  • •Kick It Out recorded 1,744 reports of abuse in 2025-26.
  • •Distinct incidents surpassed 1,000, reaching 1,255.
  • •Online discrimination reports rose by five percent.
  • •Mass chanting incidents reached a record 142 instances.
  • •Kick It Out delivered its 500th fan education session.
Latest Updates
  • 9:30 PMYahoo Sports — Racist and homophobic abuse on the rise in English football as shocking new figures released
What they're saying
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Reports of abuse soared last season, with Kick It Out claiming discrimination is ‘deeply embedded’ in English football

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Soccer

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