The EFL has today launched its ‘Together Against Racism’ initiative which renews appeals to football supporters to report any incidents of racism and discrimination they see or hear in stadiums and online.
Clubs will also showcase the work that is being undertaken up and down the country to promote inclusion and make Clubs representative of the communities in which they are located.
With support from anti-discrimination charity, Kick It Out, the campaign sees a focused drive from the EFL and its Clubs to combat racism and all forms of discrimination in football.
Across four weekends in October, every EFL Club will run a ‘Together Against Racism’ matchday reminding fans how they can report abuse, so that football and law enforcement authorities can ensure that there are consequences for abusers, while victims get the support they need.
Tackling discriminatory abuse is a key part of the football-wide Love Football Protect the Game initiative which aims to combat all dangerous and illegal behaviour at football grounds across the country.
Building on English football’s shared commitment on equality, discrimination and inclusion, ‘Together Against Racism’ will run concurrently alongside the Premier League’s ‘No Room for Racism’ and the FA’s ‘Enough is Enough’ campaigns throughout October, highlighting the collective approach that is being taken at all levels of the game.
Trevor Birch, Chief Executive of the the EFL, said:
“Football has a platform to effect positive change across society, so we are proud to be collaborating with partners across the game to ensure a welcoming environment for everyone.
“Our clubs are working hard to stamp out unwelcome behaviour from football and via the many measures the game has introduced in recent years we will continue to support them as we look to make the EFL truly representative of the communities we represent.”
The Together Against Racism campaign launch has been supported by former Reading midfielder and Jamaican international Jobi McAnuff who narrated a video on how to report discrimination.