Aston Villa fans were reported for alleged hate crimes on more occasions than supporters of any other club in the 2019-20 season, according to Home Office data. They were reported for seven incidents related to race, five related to sexual orientation and one associated to religion. Three clubs’ fans – Wolves, Leeds and Tottenham – were the subject of 10 reports each, while Chelsea fans were reported nine times. The Home Office announced two months ago that there had been 319 incidents of hate crime reported at 287 of the 2,663 matches in England and Wales in the 2019-20 season. This was the match where a plane was flown over the Etihad Stadium just before kick-off with a banner displaying the words ‘White Lives Matter Burnley’.

Source: Express November 24, 2020 00:00 UTC