Mel B backs World Cup campaign against domestic abuse

Former Spice Girl Melanie Brown, known as Mel B, has backed a campaign to highlight the rise in domestic violence reports when England plays football. The campaign, called Unspoken Stat, was launched by the domestic abuse charity I Choose Freedom.

Research on domestic abuse and football matches

One recent study suggested that incidents of domestic abuse rose by 38% when the national side lost and by 26% when they won or drew. A separate study from the University of Warwick found that an England victory in an international tournament was followed by a 47% increase in reported alcohol-related domestic abuse cases. Sussex Police reported that the number of 999 calls linked to domestic violence doubled during the last World Cup in 2022.

Mel B's personal experience and advocacy

Brown, 51, who was made an MBE in 2022 for services to charitable causes and vulnerable women, has previously spoken about her experiences of being in an abusive relationship. Her former partner has repeatedly denied the claims against her. She said: "Football is the beautiful game, but as survivors, we know that there can be an ugly side to it." She added: "[Football] doesn't cause domestic abuse, but police and public statistics show that incidents of domestic abuse go up significantly after big matches like the World Cup. It's so important to raise awareness."

Campaign introduces 'expected violence' metric

As part of the campaign, I Choose Freedom has unveiled the concept of xV, or expected violence, similar to existing football metrics xG (Expected Goals) and xA (Expected Assists). A spokesperson for the charity said: "A study by Lancaster University has shown that domestic abuse incidents can rise by 38% when England lose and 26% even when England win, so xV is a statistic we all need to be aware of."

Support from local organizations

Leeds Women's Aid and Leeds United have also backed the campaign ahead of England's fixture against Croatia at 21:00 BST. Jeannette Morris-Boam, director of strategy, partnerships and influence at Leeds Women's Aid, said: "While an exciting time for football fans around the World, for those experiencing domestic abuse, large scale football tournaments can bring immense anticipation and dread, as factors like increased alcohol intake and heightened emotions can exacerbate abusive behaviours. This is a crucial opportunity to put violence against women at the forefront of the conversation during the World Cup, and raise awareness of the support available." Leeds Women's Aid said anyone seeking help should contact their 24/7 helpline. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, support is available via the BBC's Action Line.