New figures released today (November 25th) have confirmed that the number of arrests for racist chanting at English and Welsh league grounds fell to their lowest ever levels last year, the BBC reports.
Statistics from police forces across the two countries show that there were a total of 23 arrests for such offences in the 2007/08 season, covering all domestic and international fixtures.
This figure represents a noticeable drop from the 43 recorded during the previous season, despite attendances rising to a total of 37 million and a three per cent increase in arrests for all offences.
In the Premier League, there were nine racism-related arrests, with three fans coming from Chelsea, three from Tottenham and one each from Manchester United, Newcastle and Wigan.
Most of the 3,842 arrests during the last campaign were for drink-related offences and public disorder, while under ten per cent of that total was accounted for by violent behaviour.
The number of banning orders decreased over the course of the season by one per cent to 3,172, with Portsmouth seeing the most subjected to new orders in the Premier League, with 91.
The Commission for Racial Equality, the Football Supporters Association and the Professional Footballers Association have all launched initiatives aimed at encouraging people from ethnic minorities to attend matches.
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21 October 2010
21 October 2010
21 October 2010
20 October 2010
20 October 2010
