English football has “inadvertently fostered safe places for excessive aggression to be displayed”, outgoing Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore has admitted.
Chelsea and the Metropolitan Police are currently investigating claims that Manchester City star Raheem Sterling was racially abused by a supporter during Saturday’s Premier League match at Stamford Bridge, while a Tottenham supporter hurled a banana skin at Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during the north London derby earlier this month.
The latest statistics released by anti-discrimination body Kick It Out also show a 22 per cent rise in racist incidents and an overall 11 per cent rise in incidents of discrimination reported at all levels of the English game for the 2017-18 season.
Writing in The Times, Scudamore stressed that the Premier League is working hard to support diversity and inclusion at all levels of the game, but he suggested that the challenge is getting harder due to the fact that “norms of decency in society appear to be shifting”.
“We strive to make our grounds safe and welcoming for all fans,” Scudamore wrote. “We are a multicultural and diverse football competition, we have players from all backgrounds and fans from all over the world. At community level, our clubs run the most comprehensive good causes programme in global sport, with inclusion at the centre of all their activities.
“However, the need for vigilance has never been greater as norms of decency in society appear to be shifting, particularly since the advent of social media.
“In creating exciting, passionate environments we have inadvertently fostered safe places for excessive aggression to be displayed. Nowhere else — not on the street or in a pub — would people be brave enough to shout abuse at a group of very fit young athletes at such close proximity.
“We all need to take a close look at where that boundary should lie: between the adrenaline of passionate support and the wholly unacceptable vitriol and abuse masquerading as tribalism. Our clubs, the authorities and the FA are working towards further and urgent improvement — it is essential for the future of the game.”
Chelsea have suspended four supporters from attending games “pending further investigations” into the Sterling incident. Colin Wing, the Blues fan identified as being at the centre of the claims, denies racially abusing the England international but accepts that he insulted and swore at him.
Kick It Out founder and chairman Lord Herman Ouseley announced his decision to step down on Tuesday, revealing that he had received hate mail as a result of his response to the Sterling incident and urging “younger equality advocates and campaigners” to lead the anti-discrimination fight.
Scudamore is also set to leave his role as Premier League executive chairman by the end of the year, to be replaced by former Discovery executive Susanna Dinnage.
