Former England striker Emile Heskey has issued a stark warning about the escalating abuse crisis in football, saying the culture surrounding the game has become so toxic that he never encouraged his own children to pursue professional careers.
Heskey, who earned 62 England caps and played more than 500 top-flight games, says abuse is now constant, personal, and inescapable, targeting not only black players but also white players, managers, referees, women’s players, commentators, club staff, and their families.
He said: “I suffered racism throughout my career, but back then it was mainly coming from the stands or in the papers.
“Now it’s everywhere. It’s on social media, in your home, on your kids’ phones – and it’s not just racism or sexism, because white players are also getting hammered online. There are many incidences where managers are receiving threats, officials are abused weekly, and even commentators are targeted.
“We keep calling it a small minority, but that downplays what is really happening. The scale and intensity of abuse has grown beyond that.”
The former Liverpool and Leicester forward recalled being racially abused throughout a World Cup qualifier in Croatia.
He added, “FIFA filed a report, the Croatian FA got fined, then everyone moved on. It happened so often that I almost accepted it. I don’t want my sons, or anyone else’s children, normalising that in 2025.”
Heskey’s sons, Jaden and Reigan, are both at Manchester City. They made their senior debuts in the Carabao Cup win over Huddersfield, and Reigan is currently tipped to win the Golden Boot at the Under-17 World Cup.
Heskey added: “Seeing my boys coming through the game brought all of this into sharp focus. I don’t want them abused online for playing football. I don’t want academy kids targeted, match day officials, women’s players, or managers suffering this. Enough is enough.”
Heskey has now stepped forward to lead the launch of The Football Safety App, a world-first platform enabling supporters, players, staff, officials, and families to report abuse instantly and anonymously, wherever it happens.
The app captures reports of abuse from stadiums, concourses, pubs, fan zones, and bars, as well as on public transport, including trains where matchday behaviour often affects ordinary passengers, families, commuters, and rail staff.
It also extends to academies, youth environments, online platforms and social media.
“Transport is now another major flashpoint,” Heskey said. “Anyone who travels on trains on match days knows how quickly things can turn.
“And it’s not just football fans involved. Families, commuters, and staff get caught up in it. People should be able to travel safely. This app finally gives them a way to call that behaviour out.
“The Barry Bannan incident in December 2020, where he reported ‘vile online abuse’ to the police after a ‘grossly offensive post’ was directed at him on social media, just shows that this app is needed in all levels of the game.” .
Every submission goes to a 24-hour control room, where trained analysts sift through reports, filter out misuse, and escalate genuine cases to clubs, safeguarding teams, and, where necessary, the police.
The system gathers real-time data, trends, and behavioural patterns, creating an evidence base that football authorities have never previously had access to.
The app will be free to download and use, it will check you into games once at the stadium, and will also offer those who use it with a whole host of rewards.
Heskey continued: “This is the deterrent football has been missing. When people know there’s accountability, behaviour changes. And with the pressure that the police are under, anything that helps them by doing the groundwork, by collecting evidence, timestamps, and patterns, is a massive step forward.”
Participating clubs contribute a small monthly subscription and receive detailed insights, enabling them to identify hotspots, routes, fixtures, or environments where intervention is needed.
Heskey insists the majority of football fans will welcome the platform. He explained: “Most supporters are brilliant. They love the rivalry, the passion, the atmosphere. But they’re fed up with the poison that comes with it. They’re sick of being tarnished by the behaviour of the loudest few.
“This app gives them their game back. It lets ordinary, decent supporters say: ‘This isn’t who we are, and this isn’t what football should be.’”
Heskey is now calling on the FA, Premier League, EFL, SPFL, UEFA, and FIFA to support a unified approach.
He added: “We need the whole of football to take this seriously. We need one system that fans trust, that clubs can use, and that gives authorities the information they need. This isn’t about blaming the game. It’s about protecting it.”
The Football Safety App is in the final stages of testing and will launch before the end of the year. Discussions with several professional clubs are already underway as safeguarding pressures increase across the sport.
Organisations, leagues, clubs and supporter groups interested in partnership or early adoption can register interest at www.footballsafetyapp.com
See it. Report it. End it.
