Homophobic abuse at football matches set to become criminal offence

A bill is to be tabled next week to make homophobic and transphobic abuse at football matches a criminal offence.

Damian Collins MP, the chairman of parliament’s Digital Culture, Media and Sport select committee, will on Monday file an amendment to the Football Offences Act 1991 to make “chanting or gesturing of an indecent nature with reference to sexual orientation or gender identity” illegal.

The existing act only covers “indecent or racialist” chanting that is “threatening, abusive or insulting to a person by reason of his colour, race, nationality (including citizenship) or ethnic or national origins”.

The offence is punishable by a fine of up to £1,000.

Collins will launch a draft bill at an event with rugby legend Gareth Thomas at the Houses of Parliament.

Thomas, who came out as gay in 2009, last year fronted a a BBC documentary titled ‘Gareth Thomas v Homophobia: Hate in the Beautiful Game’.

That was after the DCMS select committee published the findings of a parliamentary inquiry into homophobia in sport, recommending a “zero-tolerance approach” to such abuse in football.

Collins’s bill will be presented in the middle of a World Cup already marred by homophobic chanting by fans of Mexico, who were this week fined by Fifa.

He said: “The time has come to move from acknowledgement to action.”

“When the Football Offences Act came into force, it made racialist abuse within football stadia illegal. The proposed amendment, which I will present to the House of Commons on Monday, seeks to extend that legal protection to LGBT+ players and fans.

“Whilst, if enacted, the bill would protect LGBT+ fans and players in the UK, recent events, including at the World Cup, have once again demonstrated that homophobic abuse takes place at football matches the world over.

“Fifa and other sports governing bodies should take the necessary steps to ensure that homophobic abuse will never be tolerated and that action will be taken against people that engage in activities like these, no matter where the game is played.

“We hope that the bill will soon become law and will contribute to making football a sport that is truly open to everyone.”