‘Ugly’ face of beautiful game

MORE than 100 hate crime offences have been recorded at London’s football stadiums in the past year, new figures have revealed, writes Joe Talora.

Between June 1, 2021 and May 31, 2022, the Metropolitan Police dealt with 83 Public Order Offences, 60 of which were racially or religiously aggravated, as well as 18 incidents of violence flagged as hate crimes.

The data was released this week by London mayor Sadiq Khan following a written question from Labour London Assembly member Unmesh Desai.

Desai, Labour’s spokesperson for policing and crime in the assembly, said there have been some “encouraging steps” in reporting hate crimes at football grounds, but there was still “a long way to go”.

He said: “We can’t let hate turn the beautiful game ugly. Football should be enjoyed by all, regardless of race, religion or sexuality. It has a significant cultural influence on society, especially with younger people.

“All Londoners must feel safe when supporting their team, without fear of intimidation or violence and without being subjected to vile language or disgusting behaviour, as should stewards, club staff and the players themselves.”

While there has been a rise in racism arrests at football grounds over the past six seasons, there have been calls for action to tackle abuse directed at footballers on social media.

Earlier this year, the Home Office announced that football banning orders would be extended to cover online hate offences, meaning trolls could be banned from attending games for up to 10 years in England and Wales. (Local Democracy Reporting Service)