England’s Euros run saw rise in ‘deeply offensive’ online comments

England’s Euro 2024 run to the final was accompanied by a “deeply concerning” rise in disablist social media posts, many of them aimed at England players and their manager, say campaigners.

The disabled-led charity Level Playing Field (LPF), which represents disabled sports fans, said such abusive comments “cannot be accepted” and were “deeply offensive to many but are often normalised in sport and wider society”.

Hundreds of disablist comments were particularly aimed at England manager Gareth Southgate and captain Harry Kane on social media.

Among them, England fans repeatedly suggested Southgate and players were disabled and called Southgate a “r****d” and “mentally disabled”.

A search by Disability News Service for posts on the social media platform Twitter that described Southgate as a “r****d” produced scores of results, while nearly as many described Kane as a “m**g”.

But LPF said such abuse had also been targeted at disabled fans online.

LPF’s chair, Tony Taylor (pictured), said: “The rises we have seen across Euro 2024 have been deeply concerning and we are thankful to the other equality groups within football that have joined us to call this out.

“We are aware of disability abuse as a growing barrier to attending live sport for many disabled fans and that makes it even clearer this language cannot be tolerated.

“Supporters and participants should not be expected to put up with these slurs.

“We ask all fans to report incidents when they take place and Level Playing Field will always be on hand to offer support throughout the process.”

LPF’s concerns have been backed by other groups fighting for equality and fairness in sport: Kick It Out, Tackling Online Hate In Football, and Fair Game.

During the last domestic football season, Kick It Out – which campaigns against all forms of discrimination in sport – saw significant increases in the number of reports it received of disablist abuse.

And last year, LPF’s annual survey reported a “troubling” increase in the proportion of disabled fans across England, Scotland and Wales who said “disability abuse” was a barrier to them attending live sport.

This year’s annual survey was launched last week and LPF said early results suggested the level of disablist abuse was “significantly up” on last year.

The mother of Jack, a disabled supporter, has told LPF of their family’s experiences at both home and away games last season.

She described how opposition fans shouted “fucking s**z” at her son, who is a wheelchair-user and does not speak, while a fan at a home game, when asked politely to stop blocking her son’s view, told them: “I don’t give a fuck if that can’t see,” and, “It’s not my fault that thing is in a wheelchair.”

Other fans began laughing and making jokes at her son’s expense.

Although some fans attempted to defend Jack, they found themselves met with abuse and threats of violence.

A Kick It Out spokesperson said: “It’s deeply concerning to see a rise in the use of ableist slurs online during UEFA Euro 2024, which sadly mirrors an increase in ableist reports into Kick It Out this season.

“Our reports suggest that discriminatory ableist language is becoming more common across all levels of the game, leaving those with a disability feeling targeted and unwelcome.

“Ableist slurs are not only deeply offensive but risk alienating and isolating disabled fans.

“Alongside Level Playing Field, Kick It Out has produced guidance on disability language, which is available for anyone involved in the game on our online education platform, The Academy.

“We would also encourage those who experience or witness ableist abuse, either in a football setting or online, to report it to us, so that we can get the right people involved and support those affected.”

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