We can confirm that 24 supporters were banned for abusive and discriminatory behaviour during the 2023/24 season. This includes 21 for abuse in the stadium, as well as three members for online abuse.
The supporters have each been handed bans of at least one year, with 14 handed three-year bans, meaning they cannot attend any Arsenal match home or away during that period.
The bans are broken down as per the following offences:
In-stadium offences
- Assault - 10
- Tragedy chanting - 5
- Offensive gestures - 2
- Racism - 2
- Homophobia - 1
- Sexual assault - 1
Online offences
- Racism – 1
- Antisemitism – 1
- Sending abusive messages – 1
We continue to work with data science company Signify Group, using its specialist Threat Matrix service to support our efforts in combatting targeted online abuse.
Threat Matrix was activated to monitor social media channels to support the club in detecting and reporting content targeting Arsenal’s player and coaching family. We work closely with Signify to identify and unmask abusive accounts, and this season, two members were identified using the technology and banned for online abuse.
Whilst online abuse detected amongst our members has declined 90% on the 2022/23 season, online abuse in general remains an issue. We have seen a 24% increase in online abuse towards our player and coaching family in the 2023/24 season.
Where abuse is detected, we work with social media companies and law enforcement to ensure the appropriate action is taken.
Our Managing Director, Richard Garlick, said: “Abuse and discrimination will not be tolerated. We will continue to take strong action alongside our partners such as the Met Police against this abhorrent behaviour.
“We know it’s a small minority, but that won’t stop us from taking action against abusers who are identified as Arsenal season ticket holders or members, and escalating to the police where appropriate.
“Our aim is to create an environment at Arsenal where everybody feels welcome. We hope continued action serves as a deterrent for those using abusive, threatening, and discriminatory language.”
New anti-discrimination film launched
As part of our ongoing action to ensure everybody feels welcome at Arsenal, we have launched a new anti-discrimination film in collaboration with our supporters.
The film features supporters and players from a wide range of diverse backgrounds. Our message is that everyone is welcome at our club. We celebrate our diverse community, and we are all united by our unconditional love for Arsenal.
The film will launch at our Premier League match against Wolves on Saturday, August 17, and will be played at all men’s and women’s matches at Emirates Stadium.
Al Tyrrell, one of our supporters who features in the new film, said: “I’ve been a Gooner my whole life and it means so much to be involved in this campaign. At matches, I feel welcome and safe, largely thanks to the warmth of the supporters around me and our shared love of the game.
"This should be a given for all Gooners at all games. I’m proud to be repping that message at the Arsenal.”
Our next steps
Education is an important part of our strategy for tackling abuse and discrimination. Individuals who have been banned are now offered the chance to reduce the length of their punishment if they attend a one-to-one education programme run by Kick It Out.
Individuals who go through the programme discuss the impact of their behaviour on others and need to demonstrate a willingness to reflect and change their mindset moving forward.
We run inclusion workshops and events in our local community to support education on the topics of abuse and discrimination, while we also continue to lift the voices of our supporters and champion our communities through campaigns and initiatives that celebrate and champion diversity and inclusion.
Our recent away kit launch celebrated our connection to our African supporters, while during Pride Month in June we celebrated the individuals, communities and initiatives that champion the LGBTQ+ community within our game, before coming together at the Pride in London Parade with GayGooners and the wider Arsenal family.
If our witness any form of offensive behaviour, they can report it using our anonymous ‘See Something, Say Something’ service by texting “Foul” to 67777 together with a description of the incident and location where it is taking place (such as the block, row and seat number).
This service protects supporters’ anonymity should they feel uncomfortable speaking to stewards publicly.
Abuse in the stadium or online can also be reported via our website.
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
