The following incidents of racism, xenophobia, extreme nationalism or homophobia have been reported to Fare during January 2019. This list is only likely to reflect a proportion of the incidents that occurred.

All reports have been brought to Fare’s attention through eyewitness or media accounts.  A Fare observer scheme is also currently at place at UEFA club competitions to monitor discriminatory behaviour.

Fare has third party reporting status with UEFA and FIFA for international matches, and at a national level we can support incident reports made by our members.

The general public can keep us informed of national and international level incidents through the reporting form  here.

02 January 2019 – Indian Kerala Premier League: Sports Academy Tirur v FC Thrissur

FC Thrissur player, Yemoah Santa Cruz, was subjected to racial slurs by Sports Academy Tirur players. Santa Cruz was repeatedly called ‘black’ in a derogatory manner. The Kerala Football Association was notified.

05 January 2019 – English Conference Premier League: Wrexham AFC v Dover Athletic FC 

Dover Athletic players were racially abused by a group of Wrexham fans during and directly after the match. North Wales Police have launched an investigation.

06 January 2019 – English FA Women’s Super League: Sheffield United Women v Tottenham Hotspur Ladies F.C 

The Tottenham Hotspur defender, Renee Hector, was subject to racist abuse from another Sheffield United player. Sheffield United launched an investigation.

08 January 2019 – English Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur FC v Chelsea FC

A Chelsea fan was arrested for using anti-Semitic language before the match. Two other fans were arrested for racially aggravated public order offences.

09 January 2019 – AS Roma supporters 

To coincide with the anniversary of SS Lazio, AS Roma supporters distributed anti-Semitic flyers around Rome. The flyers read: ‘Lazio, Napoli and Israel, same colours, same flags. Shit!’. Italian police authorities have launched an investigation.

12 January 2019 – Italian Serie A: Bologna FC v Juventus FC

Juventus striker, Moise Kean, was racially abused by Bologna fans. Bologna released a statement denying the racist chants, an investigation is taking place.

12 January 2019 – Italian Serie A: SS Lazio v Novara Calcio 

Lazio supporters were reported chanting racist and anti-Semitic chants such as “Yellow, red and Jewish” and “This Roma that looks like Africa” towards their rivals AS Roma during their match against Novara.

13 January 2019 – English Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur FC v Manchester United FC

Spurs player Son Heung-min was racially abused during the match by a fan in the home supporters section. Tottenham Hotspur announced it has launched an investigation.

13 January 2019 – Spanish Copa del Rey: Real Betis v Real Madrid CF

The Real Madrid forward, Vinícius Júnior, was subjected to racial abuse by Real Betis fans.

19 January 2019 – English Blackburn Combination League: Euro Garages v Clayton Park Rangers 

A Clayton Park Rangers player abused an Asian Euro Garages player, saying ‘Shut up, you f****** curry muncher’. The player was sent off the pitch after the incident. The Lancashire Football Association is investigating the case.

20 January 2019 – Costa Rican First Division: CF Universidad de Costa Rica v Club Sport Cartaginés  

CF Universidad de Costa Rica defender, Lemark Hernández, was subjected to racial abuse by a group of Club Sport Cartaginés fans.

20 January 2019 – Spanish Segunda Division B: SD Ejea v FC Barcelona B

The Barcelona B defender, Moussa Wague, was sent off the pitch after an altercation with an Ejea fan. According to Moussa Wague, he was subject to racist insults and songs.

20 January 2019 – Dutch First Division: Willem II v NAC Breda

A NAC Breda fan displayed a homophobic banner during the match.

22 January 2019 – Belgian Women Clubs

A group of nine women's clubs: six first division clubs and three second division clubs, are suing the Royal Belgian Football Association for their policy regarding ‘promoting women's football’. The nine clubs stress that the policy of the Royal Belgian Football Association does not go in line with the increasing popularity and professionalism of women football.

25 January 2019 – Italian Regional Campania League: Serino v Real Sarno

The Senegalese goalkeeper, Gueye Ass Dia, was racially abused by the referee and subsequently shown a red card. The manager of the opposing team, Serino, took his players off the field as a response.

26 January 2019 – English FA Cup: Millwall FC v Everton FC

A video footage emerged of Millwall fans singing ‘I would rather be a Paki than a Scouse’. Millwall has pledge to hand out lifetime bans to any fans involved.

26 January 2019 – Dutch Fourth Division: HSV Hoek v DOVO

Several DOVO football players were racially abused by a group of HSV Hoek supporters making monkey noises.

26 January 2019 – English League Two: Cheltenham Town FC v Macclesfield Town FC

Sol Campbell was subjected to homophobic abuse by several Cheltenham fans. The Football Association has launched an investigation.

27 January 2019 – Dutch First Division: Feyenoord v AFC Ajax

Five Feyenoord fans were arrested by Dutch police for chanting anti-Semitic songs during the match against Ajax.

Social Media 

Twitter: Andrés Iniesta

Andrés Iniesta posted a picture with his family and others celebrating Three Kings Day. The picture featured two people wearing blackface in reference to King Balthazar. Iniesta was widely criticised but did not remove the post from his social media page.

Instagram: Wayne Hennessey

Wayne Hennessey was pictured making a Nazi salute while posing for a photo at a team dinner with Crystal Palace. The Football Association has launched an investigation into the alleged salute.

Instagram: Esha Gupta 

Esha Gupta, a high-profile supporter and ambassador for Arsenal, posted a screenshot of her WhatsApp conversation with a friend in which she compared Alex Iwobi to a gorilla. Gupta apologised on Twitter for her behaviour amid calls for her to be removed from her ambassadorial post.

Twitter: Melbourne Victory supporter

A Melbourne Victory supporter racially abused the Western Sydney Wanderers player, Tarek Elrich, on social media. Racist slurs thrown at Elrich included derogatory references to his Muslim background.

Sanctions 

English Premier League: Chelsea FC

The Chelsea supporter who pleaded guilty to shouting homophobic abuse during the Premier League game on the 16th of December away at Brighton and Hove Albion received a three-year stadium ban.

English League One: Burton Albion FC v Sunderland AFC 

The Sunderland fan who made racist comments during the Burton Albion FC v Sunderland AFC match on September 15th 2018 received a fine, and was banned from attending all regulated football matches in the UK for the next three years.

Belgian First Amateur League: RFC Liège v Eendracht Aalst

Eendracht Aalst were sanctioned with a fine of 2,500 euros and ordered to play their next game without spectators following racist slurs and chants directed at Liège player Randy Giargiani on December 9th.

French Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain 

The French club Paris-Saint-Germain was fined 100,000 euros for racial profiling at youth-team levels. Youth candidates were categorised as French, North African, West Indian or African.

English National League: Wrexham A.F.C. v Dover Athletic 

Six spectators have been excluded from Wrexham A.F.C home and away matches and any event held at the Racecourse Ground, following discriminatory incidents during the match between Wrexham and Dover Athletic on the 5th of January.

Australian A-League: Melbourne Victory

Melbourne Victory cancelled a supporter’s membership after a racist incident occurred on social media aimed at the Western Sydney Wanderers FC player, Tarek Elrich.

Indian Super League: Jamshedspur FC v Delhi Dynamos FC 

Carlos Calvo, a Jamshedpur FC player, was found guilty of racially abusing Gianni Zuiverloon during the Indian Super League match on December 12th 2018. Carlos Calvo was suspended for three matches and received a fine of RS 3 lakhs.

English League Two: Lincoln City FC

An assistant groundsman at Lincoln City FC was sacked after making a series of racist comments on social media in 2017. Even though the Islamophobic comments were posted before the groundsman joined the club, Lincoln City FC took the decision to sack the individual after the comments surfaced.

Dutch Eredivisie: Feyenoord fans

Five Feyenoord fans were arrested and fined $570 for anti-Semitic chanting during the Feyenoord v AFC Ajax match on 27th January 2019.