Kick It Out Data Shows Rise in Anti-Immigrant Chanting in English Football

What happened: New data from Kick It Out, reported by The Guardian, says abusive chanting against immigrants has become a feature of football matches in England. The anti-discrimination charity recorded 39 reports of anti-immigrant chanting last season, which the source says is more than the previous two seasons combined.

The reported phrases included “stop the boats” and “send them back”. Kick It Out said such chanting had been heard “at all levels of the game”, and framed it as part of a growing trend of discriminatory “mass chanting” at matches.

Why it matters: This is not a single-club disciplinary story or an isolated crowd-control issue. The significance is that the reports point across the pyramid, from the professional game down to grassroots football, where the source says reports of abuse rose for a fifth straight year. That makes the problem harder to treat as matchday noise around one fixture, one rivalry, or one set of supporters.

Football impact: For clubs, leagues, county FAs, and tournament organizers, the practical issue is enforcement. Mass chanting is harder to identify and sanction than an individual incident, but it also carries broader reputational damage because it can normalize abuse inside a venue. If reports are rising at grassroots level too, the pressure is not only on elite stadium operations but also on local competitions, referees, safeguarding officers, and volunteer administrators who may have fewer resources.

What to watch: The next step is whether football authorities respond with clearer reporting processes, faster sanctions, or stronger match-abandonment guidance when discriminatory chanting is widespread. The data also raises a measurement question: more reports may reflect more incidents, better reporting, or both. Either way, Kick It Out’s figures indicate that the issue is being recorded more often and cannot be dismissed as invisible or anecdotal.

Confidence: Confirmed by the source are the 39 reports of anti-immigrant chanting last season, the examples of reported chants, Kick It Out’s statement that incidents were heard at all levels of the game, and the wider rise in reported grassroots abuse for a fifth year. Still requiring follow-up are any club-specific sanctions, competition-by-competition breakdowns, and whether the rise is driven mainly by increased incidents, improved reporting, or both.