Racism in football

Majority of public believe John Terry racially abused Anton Ferdinand, and nearly two-thirds say football has a racism problem

A majority (57%) of the British public think that John Terry racially abused Anton Ferdinand, and nearly two-thirds (65%) believe there is a racism problem in football, according to a YouGov poll.

Less than one in five (18%) people believe that the former England Captain did not racially abuse Anton Ferdinand, whilst a plurality (42%) of Britons say that John Terry’s punishment – consisting of a £220,000 fine and a four match ban – was not harsh enough. Of those who believe football has a problem with racism, a majority believe that the FA (51%), UEFA (73%) and FIFA (73%) are not doing enough to tackle the problem.

Football fans

Three quarters (73%) of those who say they are interested in football believe that John Terry racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, with a majority (53%) saying that his punishment should have been more severe.

• 73% of football fans believe John Terry is guilty of racial abuse, compared with only 18% who reject this claim and 9% who say they don’t know
• Over half (53%) of those interested in football think that John Terry’s punishment was not harsh enough, while 16% say it was too harsh
• A quarter (25%) of football fans believe the punishment from the FA was about right

Racism in football

The poll also reveals that nearly two-thirds (65%) of the British public think that there is a problem of racism in football. Nearly three quarters (72%) of football fans agree with this view.

• 65% of Britons believe racism in football is a problem, compared with only one in five (19%) who think it is not and 16% who don’t know
• 72% of those interested in football believe racism is a problem in the sport, while a quarter (24%) do not accept this view and 4% are uncertain

For more information contact YouGov PR Executive Harris MacLeod

See the full original press release here

And click here for the full results of the poll