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Chelsea supporters hold up a banner at Stamford Bridge at the recent game against Burnley. Photograph: Paul Gilham/Getty Images
Chelsea supporters hold up a banner at Stamford Bridge at the recent game against Burnley. Photograph: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Reported incidents of racism are on the rise: it means we are winning the battle

This article is more than 9 years old
Roisin Wood, director of Kick It Out
People are more willing and confident to come forward and it seems that supporters are starting to make a stand against discriminatory behaviour
Football Association welcomes a 70% rise in reporting racist abuse
Police launch inquiry into claims of racist abuse by Chelsea fans

The 35% increase in incidents of discrimination reported to us since the start of the season, coupled with the recent high-profile cases of racist and antisemitic behaviour involving Chelsea and West Ham United fans, have shown the true extent of the issues that persist across all levels of English football.

The bad days of the 70s and 80s have been largely left behind us, where black footballers experienced the worst excesses of racism directed at them by large sections of matchday crowds, and it is always important to acknowledge the progress made. Players such as Cyrille Regis, Paul Canoville, Luther Blissett and Garth Crooks will reiterate that.

Yet as we’ve seen football evolve in so many different ways over the past two decades, the same can be said for the game’s ongoing challenges with discrimination. There is a stubborn element that continues to exist within the game, maintaining abusive, biased and prejudiced attitudes, and even the most overt forms of discriminatory behaviour still remain visible.

The footage we have seen taken on public transport in Paris and north London in the past couple of weeks confirms that. But what would have happened had it not been caught on camera? It most likely would have gone unchallenged, and that makes you think about how many of these incidents occur each and every week that go unreported, unseen.

The reality is the level of complaints submitted to us this season, despite showing a leap from 136 to 184 when compared to the midway point of the 2013-14 campaign, barely scratch the surface of a widespread problem.

To some, the 35% increase may be viewed negatively, but we take encouragement from receiving a greater level of reports, because it suggests people are more willing and confident to come forward. It is encouraging to see reports of incidents in the professional game increase by 65%, especially as the vast majority of these have been due to supporters self-policing and taking a stand against discriminatory behaviour inside stadiums. However, we are concerned that cases at grassroots level remain low, although this may be because such incidents are being reported directly to the Football Association.

Instilling confidence in the reporting processes, and raising awareness of the relevant mechanisms in place with which to make a confidential complaint, has always been the key. We are hopeful that the 35% increase demonstrates greater knowledge and faith of our work in this area, the systems in place, and the likelihood of cases of discrimination reaching a positive outcome.

Anna Jonsson, who was appointed as our first full-time reporting officer in October 2013, handles all incidents of discrimination on our behalf, offering support and advice to victims and complainants, and liaising closely with the FA, County FAs, the Premier League, the Football League, the Police, professional clubs and amateur teams.

Anna has used her expertise to enhance our reporting procedures, and also strengthened communication channels with the FA, which has installed its own disciplinary administrator and investigation manager, when dealing with complaints. She receives regular updates on cases and a more efficient process has now been established between both parties.

The FA has improved its own structures around handling cases of discrimination, ensuring complaints are investigated thoroughly, and there is more independence and transparency in the process. This is certainly a work in progress and there is ongoing dialogue about how further advances can be made to build further trust in the processes.

Empowering supporters, players, managers, coaches and those involved in a variety of capacities at all levels of football is an effective way of tackling this issue head-on, and a major development came for us when we released the Kick It Out app, which possesses a unique facility allowing on-the-spot reporting, in July 2013.

The app has had a massive impact so far this season, especially within the professional game, where it has been the most used reporting method, responsible for 27% of complaints. We are now considering how we can look at updating the app to allow more conclusive evidence to be submitted, and to make it easier for use at grassroots level.

Traditionally, Kick It Out has been seen as an organisation dealing with racism, and this stems from its origins as the “Let’s Kick Racism Out of Football” campaign. Most of our complaints continue to relate to racism, but we have received far more reports of sexism, LGBT discrimination, disability abuse and antisemitism than before.

It is a promising sign that there is a better understanding that our remit extends beyond racism, and that people are not willing to tolerate any abuse, but again we believe the level of reports to be relatively low compared to the actual situation which exists within football, and we want to see a substantial rise between now and the end of the season.

One key issue we are wrestling with is the serious levels of football-related hate crime posted on social media websites. We have established links with True Vision, which is the police’s online reporting facility, and Twitter, the platform where we see the vast majority of abuse posted, to help support our work in this area, but it really is a massive task.

Our remit is extremely wide as it is, and the modern revolution of social media, while being positive in many different ways, has also dramatically increased the ways in which racism and discrimination can be expressed. Certain fixtures can lead to a surge in reports, and we are reliant on other social media users to bring abusive posts to our attention. We understand how common incidents of racism and discrimination are within the game, whether it is in the stands or on the pitch, and will always work hard to ensure action is taken when a complainant lodges a report through us.

Ultimately, if we are to see a game which is fully inclusive, equal and fair, collective responsibility must be taken by those with the power and influence at the top. Of course, major strides have been made over the past two decades, but there is still a long way to go before we see a serious zero-tolerance stance adopted towards discrimination, and a game more reflective of modern-day society.

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