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'No room for complacency' over racism in football

Nearly half of survey respondents not confident reports would be dealt with effectively

Racism is not considered a major problem in Manx football but there are some who've felt uncomfortable or intimidated by racist behaviour.

That's one of the conclusions from the Isle of Man Football Association's latest Diversity and Inclusion Report which was published this week.

Whilst 92 per cent of those who responded to the survey said Island football is a safe and welcoming place, 22 per cent also stated they'd seen or experienced racist abuse in the past.

In junior football 100 per cent of players, parents and carers who took part said football locally was a safe environment.

Seventy-four per cent of respondents said they weren't sure how to report a racism incident and only 57 per cent said they felt confident the IOMFA would deal with a report effectively.

The FA also reports several comments described how difficult it is to handle complaints of this nature given the Island is a small place where many people know each other.

There was also feedback from and about referees around the issue.

The association says this highlights how difficult it is for referees to deal with an allegation on the spot - especially if they haven't seen or heard an incident.

Several referees stated whilst they hadn't observed a racism incident if they did they were clear it would be recorded in their match report.

The report has outlined some further actions the IOMFA is looking to take to support clubs and individuals to continue to combat racism.

These include setting up an inclusion advisory group, provide education resources for clubs and clarify procedure for reporting incidents.

The organisation adds it's reassuring that most people think this is an important matter adding whilst it's up to clubs and individuals to model inclusive behaviour there are steps the FA can take to support this.

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