Anti-discrimination organisation Kick It Out have revealed that reports of racial and homophobic abuse has risen by 43% this season.
Director Roisin Wood has claimed that a number of supporters are using a Kick It Out internet app, which allows fans to report any complaints as they notice them during a fixture.
Wood also told a BBC Radio 5 live debate at Manchester's National Football Museum that issues regarding abuse via social media, including Twitter, have increased of late.
"Sometimes people are using the force of social media to abuse players and to abuse other fans," the Daily Mail quotes Wood as saying. "These are very serious indications. We can only see that going one way and that's an increase."
The debate on homophobia will be aired on Thursday night.
