Over 350 domestic abuse reports linked to Euros

Police forces in England and Wales recorded 351 incidents of football-related domestic abuse reports during the recent Uefa European Championships, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) has said.

The reports, made between 14 June and 14 July, included those in which the victim specifically disclosed the Euros as a factor.

The NPCC cautioned that the figure likely did not represent all instances of football-related domestic abuse - and that domestic abuse was generally "vastly under-reported".

However, it said the number of reports reinforced the belief that the "heightened emotions and behaviour" football can generate could exacerbate domestic abuse.

The NPCC said the figures were compiled across 43 police forces, and did not cover Scotland or Northern Ireland.

It noted that 2024's reports were nearly double the 193 incidents recorded during the previous tournament in 2021.

However, an NPCC spokeswoman told the BBC that the figures could not be compared like-for-like, as while all police forces had been asked to submit evidence of football-related domestic abuse, "not all forces submitted in 2021 or 2024".

The NPCC also said that the rise between the two tournaments may be partly due to improved data gathering.

In a joint statement, Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, the NPCC's domestic abuse chief, and Chief Constable Mark Roberts, its football policing lead, said the charity Respect had also seen increases in calls to its helplines during the Euros.

"This reinforces our belief that the heightened emotions and behaviour around football, such as prolonged drinking or drug taking, can exacerbate domestic abuse," they said.

"However, more research is needed to understand the full impact."

They added that the data gathered did not give a "full picture of offending" as it relied on victims reporting abuse and saying football was an aggravating factor - as well as officers making an accurate record of this.

Domestic abuse charities are wary about blaming football for instances of abuse.

"It's important to understand that football does not cause people to be abusive and there is no excuse for domestic abuse," Jo Todd, Respect's chief executive, told the BBC.

"What we know is that research shows incidents of domestic abuse increase during football tournaments, whether a team wins or loses.

"There are many reasons abuse might intensify at these times within the wider context of a perpetrator's behaviour, such as heightened emotions and increased alcohol consumption. But perpetrating abuse is always a choice."

National charity Refuge previously said during the Euros that "football doesn't cause abuse, abusers do".

It added: "The Euros should be a time of joy and celebration but for many women experiencing domestic abuse, these games only cause more fear."

The NPCC noted that a national policing strategy had been launched ahead of this year's Euros to "target serial domestic abusers".

This included shortlisting known serial abusers and conducting patrols and welfare visits.

But the NPCC spokeswoman said they did not have any information on whether the reports had led to arrests or charges.