As part of a new zero tolerance policy against anti-Semitism or Islamophobia, it is a possibility that English football clubs may be hit hard by The FA in future, should supporters engage in this sort of abuse.
The possibility of points being docked in league campaigns was one punishment put forward at football’s first faith summit, as The FA, the Metropolitan police, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the National Association of Muslim Police met to discuss tackling such incidents on the terraces and near grounds.
At present, abusive fans face being banned, but this is done by individual clubs rather than The FA.
At the meeting in London, The FA said that as well as docking points from clubs, it was also thinking about forcing them to play behind closed doors in extreme cases - a penalty sometimes enforced by other governing bodies abroad.
Last week, the French side Metz received a one-point penalty after fans abused Moroccan defender Abdeslam Ouaddou, and UEFA also told the club to play a match behind closed doors.
The summit was attended by The FA's Director of Corporate Affairs Simon Johnson, Head of Stadium Security, Chris Whalley and Equality Manager Lucy Faulkner, who said: "We now have a five-point action plan that will look at how stewards manage incidents, the way grounds are policed, how The FA monitors incidents, strengthening reporting mechanisms and the role of referees."
Islamophobic abuse blighted last August's derby between Middlesbrough and Newcastle United at the Riverside, where Egyptian striker Mido was the target of chants about suicide bombers by a number of the visiting fans.
Although The FA launched an investigation, no banning orders against individual fans were issued because there were difficulties in identifying the culprits. It wrote to both clubs, asking them to take steps to prevent any repetition of the chants.
Alex Goldberg, from the Board of Deputies of British Jews, welcomed yesterday's tougher stance from The FA.
"There's no such thing as friendly banter, it's abuse, and this action plan is a long time coming,” he said.
“There need to be more effective mechanisms when dealing with antisemitism and Islamophobia and we want strict liability, with clubs being held responsible for the actions of supporters."