Football and the rise in domestic abuse cases

England are now out of the 2022 football World Cup, having been knocked out in the quarter final stages by France.

Unfortunately major football tournaments, such as the World Cup or the Euros, often bring with them a rise in domestic abuse incidents. At AFG LAW, we are expecting to see another spike in these reports, and more clients seeking protection from harm.

In 2020, the NCDV (National Centre for Domestic Violence) reported that domestic abuse and the World Cup were closely linked, with reports of domestic abuse incidents increasing by 26% if England played, 38% if England lost and 11% the next day, win or lose*.

Abuse isn’t always physical. It can be emotional, financial, psychological, or controlling/coercive behaviour. It is important for people to know that just because there are no visible marks, doesn’t mean that help cannot be offered.

With a few football games still to go, and with the Christmas period coming up, we are urging people to do what they can to stay safe over the coming weeks. Whether that means staying with loved ones, or having to call the police should a situation arise or escalate.

If you, or someone you know, is at risk of being a victim of domestic abuse, please contact AFG Law for a completely confidential, no obligation conversation about the ways that we may be able to help.  If you require immediate protection, you should also call 999.

Please note that all content pages on our website that relates to domestic abuse has a “quick exit” button which will return you to a generic website and erase your search history of these pages at www.afglaw.co.uk

References: *https://www.ncdv.org.uk/the-not-so-beautiful-game/