Arsenal have issued a number of bans to 24 fans for abusive and discriminatory behaviour during the 23/24 season, with three of the offences being carried out online .

14 fans were handed three-year bans from home and away games, whilst the other 10 received one-year bans. Most of the incidents took place at the Emirates, ranging from racism and homophobia to sexual assault and offensive chanting. However, the inclusion of three online offences amongst the banning orders, shows just how much the game has changed in the last few years.

The club’s managing director Richard Garlick has said they will maintain a hardline approach to discrimination, cracking down on offenders to create a safer, more inclusive environment on match days and online.

The club started using a Threat Matrix service back in 2021 to combat and curtail the level of abuse their players and staff are routinely subjected to - with a 24% increase recorded last season alone.

This is not a problem unique to Arsenal, but one that clouds the sport as a whole. With people able to hide behind private profiles and burner accounts, players, managers and other people associated with football clubs have found themselves subjected to horrible acts of discrimination on a regular basis - especially with the continued rise of and integral role social media plays in fans accessing the game.

Players have spoken out about social media abuse, with fans emboldened by the anonymity and lax guidelines on platforms like X and Instagram. In general, people have gotten far too comfortable spewing racist, homophobic and exclusionary hate online. Football is not exempt from that societal shift, but the sport must take a stand to protect its players and fans.

Discrimination and abuse has no place in football, and it is imperative to hold fans accountable for their actions. Arsenal’s ban is the way to go, setting an example for others to follow and showing that acts of discrimination will not be tolerated and swept under the rug.