The Premier League, the organisation behind the most watched top-level football division in the world, has agreed to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism — along with 19 of its top clubs.

Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City are now among the footballing giants to join their league’s organising body in supporting the landmark move, announced on Thursday, which is designed to help tackle growing Jew-hatred across the globe.

Bill Bush, executive director of the Premier League, confirmed it had become the latest organisation to recognise IHRA as part of an ongoing commitment to promote equality and diversity and to combat discrimination in football.

He added: “Our adoption of the IHRA’s working definition will enable us to be more effective in dealing with any antisemitic behaviour targeting our clubs or personnel.

“We continue to work closely with clubs and relevant authorities to ensure that any incident of discrimination is dealt appropriately.

“The adopting of IHRA’s working definition of antisemitism is the latest step in the Premier League’s continued work to ensure that football is a welcoming environment for all.”

In a further significant development, Kick It Out, soccer’s leading equality and inclusion charity, will issue a call for clubs in the lower English Football League (EFL) to also adopt the IHRA definition before Holocaust Memorial Day in January.

The JC understands that the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan; Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham; and Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, will also issue their own messages of support over the coming days for the decision by the Premier League and the vast majority of its clubs to back the initiative.

The three mayors will also demand that all higher education institutions follow suit and adopt IHRA if they have not already adopted the definition already.

In a welcome boost for Jewish students, who have regularly faced hostile activity on campuses, the JC has also learnt that 18 universities in the Russell Group have now confirmed they have also adopted IHRA across their institutions.

Lord John Mann, the government’s antisemitism adviser, and Jonathan Goldstein, the chair of the Jewish Leadership Council, have, according to friends, worked “tirelessly” behind the scenes in the move to promote the benefits of major institutions committing to the definition.

Lord Mann told the JC: “The adoption of the IHRA definition by the Premier League will rightly be heralded by the footballing community and clubs worldwide.

“I congratulate our Premier League for setting the global standard. I hope others will now step up and be counted.”
JLC chair Mr Goldstein added: “In a year when football is rightly tackling racism, this commitment   to understand and combat anti-Jewish racism ensures we all play our part.”

Chelsea became the first Premier League club, and the first sports team in the world, to adopt the working definition of antisemitism in January.

West Ham and Bournemouth followed the West London side’s lead shortly afterwards to confirm they had also adopted IHRA – with only Sheffield United still to commit to adopting the working definition.

By harnessing football’s global reach it is hoped that the adoption of IHRA  will help the Premier League and its clubs train fans, stewards and employees in identifying and combatting antisemitic acts.

Many of the clubs who have expressed strong support for the initiative will stage events around Holocaust Memorial Day to educate fans on the need to combat racism.

Newcastle United is amongst the clubs to have expressed a wish to train their match day stewards on recognising antisemitic conduct. 

Both Brighton and Hove Albion and Crystal Palace are among teams whose owners have expressed a desire to stage major events in front of fans around the adoption of IHRA.

Other teams will use match day programmes or websites to advertise their commitment to the definition.
“What we found with Chelsea is the reach of football is far bigger than other institutions in civil society,” Lord Mann said. 

“If a fan sat at home with his club all over his Facebook and Twitter persona is spewing out antisemitism, then if the club challenges it that’s dramatically more powerful.”

Meanwhile, the JC understands there are moves already in place to boost the adoption of IHRA across the globe.

Lord Mann, Mr Goldstein, and Andrew Percy MP, the co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism, have begun discussions with the heads of the 32 American National Football League (NFL) clubs over their adoption of the antisemitism definition.

There has already been a positive response from several clubs over what would be a major breakthrough in attempts to tackle growing anti-Jewish sentiment amongst some sections of US society in recent years.

In a further positive step the United Nations has joined an initiative that has seen envoys from across the globe write to their respective football leagues urging teams to adopt the IHRA definition.

The German envoy has already written to every football club in the country’s top Bundesliga on behalf of the German government, urging clubs to follow the lead of Borussia Dortmund earlier this year after they backed the effort to tackle antisemitism.

In the UK Parliament, Mr Percy will be bringing a cross-party motion welcoming the decision by the Premier League and its clubs, and many universities, to now adopt IHRA.

There will also be parliamentary moves to convince Scotland’s leading football sides to adopt the definition.
British universities have seen sustained attempts by academics and anti-Israel groups to oppose IHRA – mainly around claims it limits freedom of speech.

Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, wrote to vice-chancellors in October warning them he would act if “the overwhelming majority” of universities had not adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism by the end of the year.

The letter has convinced some universities to act immediately. Others acted after being reassured over earlier concerns about IHRA’s impact on free speech.

Leading Conservative MPs, including Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick, have led calls for the implementation of IHRA across UK universities. Labour’s shadow education secretary Kate Green has also been actively involved in discussions with heads of several educational institutions. 

IHRA has been formally adopted by the governments of the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Hungary, the United States and the European Parliament – along with 30 other countries.

The Premier League is the most-watched sports league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes and a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people.

Employing 300 people, it is the organising body of the top league with responsibility for the competition, its rule book, its centralised broadcast and other commercial rights.

It has already taken a lead this year in promoting anti-racism campaigns around the Black Lives Matters movement.

Kick It Out, first established as a small charity in 1993, has grown as a body covering all aspects of discrimination, with links to parliamentarians and organisations across Europe.