Police record almost 100 football-related hate crimes in a year

There were 96 football-related hate crimes in London in the year to November 2023, new figures reveal. 

Almost 100 incidents had been flagged as football related hate crime by the Metropolitan Police, having been released in response to questions from Unmesh Desai, London Assembly Member and Labour spokesperson for policing and crime. The number of incidents peaked in February, where 29 incidents were recorded, more than 30% of the overall total. 

A report from Kick it Out, the charity focused on addressing discrimination in football, found a record 1,007 reports of discriminatory behaviour across the country in the 2022-23 season, a 65.1% increase from the previous season. Racism remains the most common form of discrimination, accounting for nearly half (49%) of reports. Police data shows that the report per incident rate has risen for the fourth season in a row, suggesting that fans are more inclined or have more tools with which to report discrimination.  

Mr Desai said that football should be welcoming to everyone, and supporters should feel empowered to report hate crime. He remains a strong advocate for tackling all forms of discrimination in football, meeting with a number of clubs at every level, from Tottenham Hotspur to Dagenham and Redbridge, urging clubs to take strong measures to stamp out football related hate crime and improve reporting. Mr. Desai has written to the Premier League and the English Football League to hear about the work they are doing to address hate crime and to encourage greater action to address it. 

Labour’s London Assembly Policing and Crime Spokesperson, Unmesh Desai AM, said: 

“No one can deny the importance of football in London – it’s part of the lifeblood of our city. It’s crucial that we do not tolerate behaviour which makes fans feel unsafe supporting their teams, or let intimidation and violence exclude Londoners from the beautiful game. 

“We cannot let hate turn the beautiful game ugly. I want to commend the work of clubs across London taking action to tackle hate crime, particularly Millwall and Dagenham and Redbridge who have made great strides.  

“I’m urging fans to call out and report hate wherever they come across it so that police and club management can step in. Together we can hold to account those using football to push hate.”