Research cited in the report has examined domestic-abuse records around World Cups and found associations with both England victories and defeats. Other studies reportedly linked increases more closely to alcohol-related incidents than to sporting emotion itself.
That distinction matters. Alcohol may intensify risk, and football can create a setting in which tensions are heightened, but neither factor explains away an individual’s decision to abuse another person.
The evidence points to a serious safeguarding issue, not a verdict against the game.
The report also quotes Refuge: “Agressores podem usar o futebol ou o consumo de álcool como desculpa, mas nunca há justificativa para violência doméstica. A culpa é apenas das ações do agressor - não de eventos externos ou circunstâncias”.
The message is unequivocal. A poor result, a celebration, an argument over a match or excessive drinking may be used as a pretext, but none is a cause that transfers responsibility away from the perpetrator.
That language should shape the response from clubs, broadcasters, venues and supporters. Awareness campaigns are useful, but they must sit alongside accessible support for victims and help for people concerned about their own behaviour.
When the next major football event arrives, support services will need capacity before the first kick-off, not after a crisis has emerged. Clubs and organisers can help by making assistance visible, challenging abusive behaviour and refusing to present violence as part of the matchday culture.
Football does not cause domestic abuse. The next storyline should be whether the game’s institutions do enough to ensure abusers cannot hide behind it.