Kick It Out wants tougher sanctions as discrimination hits new high

What the report says

BBC Sport reports that Kick It Out is calling for stronger punishments after the anti-discrimination organization recorded its highest annual level of football-related discrimination incidents in England. The body logged 1,255 incidents during the 2025-26 season across all levels of English football, compared with 960 the season before, and said it received 1,744 discrimination reports overall, a 25% year-on-year rise.

According to the report, racism remained the largest category, with 792 cases, up 19%. Kick It Out also recorded increases in homophobia, sexism and ableism, while antisemitism rose to 93 reports and Islamophobia to 60. Chief executive Samuel Okafor said racism remains deeply embedded in football while also reflecting broader society, and said he expected tougher consequences to be introduced soon.

BBC Sport highlighted the experience of Umar Ali, a Route One Rovers player in Bradford, who said he was racially and Islamophobically abused by opposition spectators while waiting to come on as a substitute during Ramadan last year. His manager, Mohammed Patel, said match officials should have removed the spectators. The Northern Counties East Football League later fined the opposition club £300 and issued nine disciplinary points, a sanction Patel said did not match the seriousness of the abuse.

The Football Association told BBC Sport it had brought in stronger sanctions for clubs and individuals, a behaviour improvement programme and penalty-points charges in grassroots football, alongside measures that can allow league-point deductions for repeated serious misconduct. The figures add pressure on football authorities to show that reporting systems lead to meaningful action.