Two West Ham fans arrested for making ‘homophobic gestures’ at Brighton supporters
West Ham’s Michail Antonio (L) vies with Brighton’s Aaron Mooy at the match on Saturday (Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty)
Two West Ham fans have been arrested after allegedly making homophobic gestures towards Brighton supporters on Saturday.
Nearly 60,000 people attended the match at London Stadium, West Ham’s home ground, where the game ended in a 3-3 draw.
Another West Ham fan was arrested on suspicion of common assault, although this is not thought to be connected to the other arrests. All three have been released pending an investigation.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed the arrests, but did not go into any detail regarding what the gestures were.
“Two male West Ham fans were arrested on suspicion of making homophobic gestures,” they said to BBC Sport.
“One male (also a West Ham fan) was arrested on suspicion of common assault. They were taken to east London police stations where they were subsequently released under investigation. Enquiries continue.”
Crackdown on homophobia in football
The allegations are the latest in a string of homophobic behaviour from football supporters, and come after West ham bosses condemned their own fans for homophobic chanting at a Premier League match against Chelsea in December.
One home supporter and one visiting fan were kicked out of Brighton’s Amex Stadium when fans reportedly sang ‘Chelsea Rent Boys’ at the match.
This sparked the ire of team officials, who later said in a statement: “West Ham United in no way condones any behaviour that falls short of the highest standards which the club sets when it comes to equality.”
In the same month, Everton fans were alleged to have directed homophobic chants at Chelsea fans during a 3-1 win at Goodison Park.
Meanwhile ion January, Millwall’s match against Reading in the Championship was halted briefly by the referee after reports of homophobic chanting.
The club carried out a “thorough and exhaustive” investigation, but later said that “no evidence has come to light to substantiate the allegations.”
