Football has a massive responsibility to society, Three Hijabis tell government

Football "belongs to the football fans," said Shaista Aziz, co-director of campaign group Three Hijabis

A group against racism and sexism in football has told the government the game has a "massive responsibility".

Three Hijabis, based in Oxford, was invited to the Women and Equalities Committee's meeting about sexism and inequality in football on Wednesday.

Co-director Shaista Aziz said: "Football does not belong to the thugs. It does not belong to the racists. It belongs to the football fans."

The FA and the Premier League said they condemned misogyny and abuse.

Three Hijabis was formed after the Euro 2020 tournament, when three players were subjected to abuse.

The group launched a petition calling on the government, as well as football and tech companies, to stand up to racism.

Three Hijabis was founded after the Euro 2020 tournament when three players were subjected to abuse

On Wednesday, the group presented its evidence to the Women and Equalities Committee.

"Football has a massive responsibility to society," Ms Aziz said.

She said a black woman had written to the group and said she had been subjected to a racial slur while at a match, while a Muslim man told the group he "regretted" taking his young daughter to watch her first ever football match due to the issues they faced.

"What we're hoping is that the evidence gathered is taken seriously and there is an action plan that not only comes from the government but also comes from the football clubs themselves," she continued.

'Very constructive dialogue'

She said there had been a "very constructive dialogue" with the Premier League and it accepted the group's call for consent training, where young male footballers would be educated on healthy relationships with women.

However, she said the group was "very disappointed" the FA had not responded to it on the matter.

A spokesperson for the FA said it "strongly condemns all forms of violence, misogyny and prejudice, which have no place in football or wider society".

"All allegations of this nature are extremely serious, and we will take appropriate action, within our jurisdiction, for any incidents that take place within a football environment," they continued.

They added the FA fully supported leagues and clubs which provide educational training programmes on these issues.

The Premier League said it was investigating the experiences of female football fans as part of work to develop a Gender Equality Strategy.

A spokesperson said: "The match day experience should be enjoyable and inclusive for everybody and we do not tolerate abuse of any kind.

"We and our clubs encourage supporters to report any abuse and we continue to review how we can improve reporting processes."