The FA together with its stakeholders is committed to addressing all forms of discrimination within football. All acts of discriminatory behaviour are offensive, abusive and have a detrimental impact on the dignity, emotional wellbeing and mental health of the individuals that are subjected to them and to those around them. Discriminationnegatively impacts on the integrityof football, and the perception of the game as a whole. All incidents of allegeddiscriminatory behaviour are takenextremely seriously and should be investigated.
The FA classifies discrimination and discriminatory behaviour by Participants as misconduct under FA Rule E3.2 and FA Rule E4. FA Rule E14 mandates that any Participant who is aware of an act of alleged misconduct should report this immediately to The FA; this includes allegations of discriminatory conduct.
This guidance note seeks to clarify how and when acts of discriminatory conduct should be reported to The FA by either individuals and/or clubs operating at PL – Step 4 of the football pyramid.
All clubs must report all alleged incidents of discriminatory behaviour by a Participant to The FA as soon as it becomes aware of them. This obligation is irrespective of the fact that the individual subjected to the alleged discriminatory behaviour may also have independently reported the matter to The FA. Matters shouldalso be reported even if the allegationis against the club itself. Reports should be made to Integrity@TheFA.com where the allegedconduct could constitute a breachof FA Rule E3.2 and/or E4.
Once the matter is reported, The FA will discuss with the club the next steps to be taken. The FA recognises that a club may be the employer of the individual alleged to have engaged in discriminatory behaviour in addition to being the employer of the individual who may have been subject to the alleged behaviour. Consequently, we are aware that a club may also wish to take steps relating to their employment obligations. However, this does not override the obligation to report the matter to The FA.
Every allegation of discriminatory conduct will be individual as to its own facts and the wishes of the complainant may be relevant in deciding what investigative steps are taken. In some circumstances it may be agreed by The FA that the club should have the primary role in dealing with the allegation, in other cases, it will be for The FA to investigate. Where the club is primarily investigating, it must share progress of the investigation withthe FA as well as share all underlying documents, witness statements and anything else that has formed part of the investigation. For FA investigations the club will be kept updated and The FA will share all relevant documentation upon conclusion of the case. In all cases, the outcome of the investigationshould be sharedwith the club/The FA in addition to those involved.
Any individual who is subject to discriminatory behaviour by a Participant in football should report the matter toThe FA. Reports may be made to Integrity@TheFA.com
Once a report is received, The FA will contact the individual to discuss next steps.
Should the discriminatory behaviour take place in the context of a football match, the protocol for reporting discriminatory behaviour should be followed
