![]() ![]() "The evil of racism has blighted football for too long. Mr Smith joined Premier League players in Arsenal's grounds in north London on Thursday to back Kick It Out, a campaign to knock out racism at all levels of the game. Speak up, speak up, speak up.BBC News | Sport | Kick out football racismįootballer Paul Ince (right) suffered racist abuse in England and Italyįootball clubs must do more to kick racism out of soccer, according to the British Culture and Sports Minister, Chris Smith. But I want to encourage more reporting, because that is ultimately how we tackle this. "We have come a long way, thanks to more robust procedures, the excellent work of Kick It Out, and more education and experience. "Back when the game was at its ugliest, and I was on the receiving end of racial abuse from fans and sometimes even other players, people didn't have faith in the system. Paul Elliott, the new chairman of the Football Association's Inclusion Advisory Board, and a founding member of Kick It Out, told BBC Sport: "I see the upside in these figures because it shows people are speaking out and not staying silent. However, 56% of the 8,500 respondents were confident that any report of discrimination would be dealt with appropriately by the authorities. Meanwhile, a survey by the Football Supporters' Federation has found that a quarter of fans had witnessed or suffered sexist language, while homophobic (23%) and racist (22%) language had also been heard by supporters. ![]() #Kick it sport professionalKick It Out defines the professional game as covering all Premier League, EFL and non-league clubs and leagues down to step four of the National League system. "It is imperative that football is unified in creating a safe and welcoming environment and the EFL will continue to work closely with Kick It Out in a collective attempt to identify and eradicate discriminatory behaviour from the game." "We will continue to work with stakeholders across football to promote equality and diversity at all levels of the sport, and to encourage supporters to feel confident they can safely report incidents to clubs, Kick It Out, or the Premier League."Ī statement from the EFL read: "Whilst any increase in reported incidents has to be acknowledged and assessed, we believe the success of the Kick it Out service, which includes the use of the reporting app, is having a positive impact as more and more people are becoming confident in detailing discriminatory behaviour. "This is one of a number of challenges the football authorities must tackle going forward."Ī spokesman from the Premier League said: "Premier League clubs work hard to make stadiums safe and welcoming environments and have supported the development of Kick It Out's discreet reporting App that encourages fans to report any unacceptable behaviour that occurs on a match day. "Whilst the statistics show a large proportion of reporting taking place within the professional game, Kick It Out is aware of the vast scale of under-reporting within the grassroots game. "It is a timely reminder that there is still significant work to be done to ensure all participants can feel safe and included in the sport," said Wood. Nearly half of the total reports in 2016-17 - 48% - related to race, with 21% HBT (homophobic, biphobic and transphobic) discrimination, and 17% faith related. The vast majority of reports in the professional game involved fans, but in 12 cases the participants were players, managers or club staff. This includes social media, professional football and at grassroots level. There were a total of 469 cases of discrimination in all areas of English football last term, an increase of 16.7%. Roisin Wood, chief executive of Kick It Out, said the statistics "indicate discrimination is still prevalent". More than half of those in professional football were in the Premier League and a third in the English Football League. ![]()
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