Kick It Out and the Frank Soo Foundation have announced a new reporting relationship to
tackle racism directed towards East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) communities in football.

The relationship will see the two organisations working together, with Kick It Out’s dedicated
reporting team handling reports from either source and the Frank Soo Foundation supporting
victims through its network.

The collaboration is a continued show of unity over the last season to raise awareness of
racism towards the ESEA community, which has targeted players and fans at a professional
and grassroots level.

It follows a similar agreement between Kick It Out and Her Game Too, which was
announced last season to tackle sexism in football, and is part of Kick It Out’s new five-year
strategy to unite partners to make the game more welcoming for everyone.

Reports of racism towards professional ESEA players have been a growing concern over the
last six seasons. Amongst a total of 377 reports of player abuse targeting nine different
footballers, 94% were aimed at former Tottenham forward Son Heung-Min.

While there was a drop in player-related reports last season, there was also a sharp spike in
reports aimed at fans from an ESEA background, with 13 reports in 2023-24 rising to 48 last
season.

As part of the relationship, Kick It Out will continue to manage reports, work with clubs and
governing bodies to drive positive outcomes for those who experience abuse, and monitor
discrimination trends so that we can advocate for change.

Hollie Varney, Kick It Out COO, said: “We continue to see incidents where East and
Southeast Asian communities are targeted, either as one of the 50-plus professional players
in English football or fans who are attending games and are made to feel unwelcome.
“Quite often reports of racism towards these communities seem to be taken less seriously,
and this relationship seeks to address that by raising awareness and coordinating our
approach with the Frank Soo Foundation, whom we have huge respect for."

“This cherished relationship is a key part of our new five-year strategy: Football United. One
of our four goals is to ensure that everyone stands up to discrimination, and we believe there
is an added strength to that when partners are united to make the game more welcoming for
everyone.”

Alan Lau, Frank Soo Foundation founder and chair said: "We have been dealing with the
rise of racism towards the ESEA communities for a number of years now.
“This has been caused by both the success and profile of ESEA footballers in the
professional game as well as broader trends in society. By working in collaboration with Kick
It Out, the issues affecting our communities will be seen by all and we can provide better
support for anyone affected by racism towards the ESEA communities across football.”