Karan Rai Speaks Out After Racist Chanting at Hereford FC

Racism hit Karan Rai in the most unexpected place: the terraces of Hereford FC, the football club he has supported for 21 years.

At an away game against Merthyr Town FC on December 30, 2025, some of his fellow Hereford FC fans began chanting, “I’d rather be a Paki than a Taff”, loudly and repeatedly.

The words left Rai in shock, a sense of isolation he had never experienced before, and reminded him of chants from decades past that he thought had disappeared.

A Punjabi Sikh and one of the very few ethnic minorities from his rural area, Rai has long been part of the Hereford community, even chairing the London Bulls Supporters Group.

This was not his first encounter with racism in football this season. Just months earlier, a Sporting Khalsa goalkeeper had been targeted by monkey chants that forced an FA Cup game to be abandoned.

Determined to turn the experience into something constructive, Rai collaborated with the club to write an open letter addressing the impact of racist chanting.

In an interview with DESIblitz, Karan Rai reflects on that night, the personal toll it took, and what needs to change in football culture.

Initial Reaction to the Chants

When the racist chanting began, Karan Rai initially questioned himself.

He explains: “At first, I was praying I wasn’t hearing what I thought I was hearing.

“I was doubting myself as I couldn’t make out the words at first but recognised the sound of the chant.”

But when he heard the chant again, the impact hit hard.

“Once it was sung again, it felt like the feeling you get when someone has told you some bad news out of nowhere and unexpectedly and your face and head go all funny and things don’t seem real.

“I felt sick and wanted to go home.”

The circumstances only intensified the shock.

He says: “It was an away game, it was late and my friend brought me by car and I didn’t want to be awkward but I would have left before kick off if I was able to too and just pretended I was fine.

“I was in total disbelief at what I witnessed and felt pure sadness. It’s a chant my dad’s generation told me about from decades ago and I felt like I was in a time warp.”

Support from Hereford FC

In the aftermath, Karan Rai received support from the club.

He says: “The actual club were brilliant, the Chairman, one of the club directors and the first team manager checked in with me and there has been a huge outpouring of support.”

Even with that, Rai admits his personal connection to the club has shifted. Abuse from fans of his own team made him feel isolated.

“However, at the moment, things don’t feel the same. It’s even tougher when it’s the fans of your own team.

“Hereford doesn’t have a majorly diverse fan base, so it kind of feels like you’re on your own in this situation and people can’t relate to you or understand why the chant was so offensive.

“I’ve needed a break from following the club, which I’ve been following for 21 years and running the London-based supporters group affiliated with the club, the London Bulls, which I’ve been doing for the last couple of years.

“I felt alone that night and didn’t celebrate our goals and the last-minute equaliser.”

“There’s been such weird feelings I’ve experienced over the last few weeks that I’ve had to unpick and work through but I ultimately hope some good can come out of the letter I’ve written.

“I want to come back one day but I am nervous about going back at the moment.”

Racist Chanting in Football

According to Rai, racist chanting continues in football due to politically charged atmospheres and broader societal trends.

He says: “Sadly, I don’t think it’s a surprise at all that this has been happening.

“In the first game of the season away at Spennymoor, I witnessed some fans chanting Tommy Robinson’s name and ‘stop the boats’.

“I’ve noticed this season things seem a lot more politically charged at the football.

“A few months later, we had an FA Cup game abandoned against Sporting Khalsa after one of our fans gave racial abuse to their black goalkeeper and now we have had this situation at Merthyr.”

Rai connects the behaviour to global political shifts and a rightward drift that normalises hostility:

“I think this country and even politics globally is moving toward the right and creating an environment of hostility.

“We are seeing political leaders encourage racism or using racially charged political messaging for their own self-interest, which is filtering through into society and the football, it’s as simple as that.

“People now feel they can say whatever they want and label ‘free speech’ as racism.”

Protecting Minority Fans and Structural Gaps

While he praises the club for its immediate response, Karan Rai believes more structured work is necessary.

Football fans often forget incidents once the next game begins, leaving minority supporters vulnerable.

He elaborates: “Whilst the club was brilliant in its response to the Sporting Khalsa incident and this incident at Merthyr, it definitely needs to do more.

“The thing with football is that this just gets forgotten about when the next game comes around and becomes old news and people move on with their lives if an issue doesn’t directly impact them.”

Part-time clubs with volunteer-led operations face resource challenges. However, Rai emphasises that this cannot excuse a lack of proactive measures.

He says: “I think with the club being part-time and run by volunteers with such a huge workload, it creates a problem for them as they lack the resources to focus on this and they probably can’t spend as much time as they would like to, as they are at capacity and need to get games on and I understand that.

“But I think there needs to be a proper anti-discrimination plan which is more than just waving banners and thinking it’s job done or leaving this with the ethnic minority guy to sort out.

“There needs to be a proper, structured approach with proper expertise for this sort of stuff, potentially an EDI or anti-discrimination working group run by volunteers that can continually work on this.

“I was disappointed to see the number of fans who have reached out or posted that they also no longer go due to the discrimination that they hear on the terraces regularly.

“The club does well to react to these incidents but needs to be more proactive in dealing with this and rooting it out of the club. Education is the key here now.”

At the national level, Karan Rai acknowledges strong initiatives but highlights the gap in non-league football.

He adds: “I personally think there is a lot of brilliant work happening in the game.

“I think the difficulty is that society is always influenced by rhetoric at the top in politics and it filters through.

“I work in refereeing and have heard of so much racial abuse happening this season that referees have experienced all over the country, especially this season, more than any other.

“I think some great work has been happening at the top of the game and in the Football League but I think non-league football doesn’t have the same resources and there should be more focus here to make it more inclusive for everyone.

“I would love to see more cross-collaboration work between football clubs when they play each other, perhaps events where away fans can learn from different communities when they visit different football clubs all over the country.

“Breaking down barriers and learning from each other is important as politics seeks to divide us more.”

For Karan Rai, the Merthyr incident was more than a personal affront; it highlighted a persistent issue in football culture.

While he acknowledges the club’s supportive response, he stresses the need for structured, long-term approaches to combat racism at every level of the game.

Rai hopes his letter can serve as both a warning and an educational tool, encouraging fans to recognise the harm caused by discriminatory chants and take responsibility for challenging them.

His experience underscores the intersection of sport, society, and politics, where broader trends can seep into local terraces and affect minority fans profoundly.

By speaking out, Karan Rai aims to foster awareness, inclusion, and a culture in football where racism is neither tolerated nor normalised.