Football Association fines Spurs over homophobic chants
Spurs have previously condemned the homophobic chanting. (Getty)
The Football Association (FA) has charged Tottenham Hotspurs over their fans’ alleged homophobic chanting during a game against Manchester United earlier this season.
The chanting apparently took place during a Premier League game at Old Trafford stadium on September 29, leading to Spurs condemning the “abhorrent homophobic chanting” heard as being “unacceptable, hugely offensive, and no way to show support for the team”.
They vowed that they would take the “strongest possible action” against fans who shouted out homophobic comments.
Ahead of a later game against West Ham, Spurs season ticket holders received an email from the club saying that it would take a “zero-tolerance approach” to discrimination.
“Our stewards will once again be wearing body cams [at the West Ham game] to identify individuals involved in unacceptable chanting, so the club can take the strongest possible action. This includes the Dominic Solanke chant with reference to Mikel Arteta and any use of the term ‘rent boy’,” the email read.
Despite this, the FA have charged the club with twice breaching FA Rule E21, which governs the behaviour of supports at matches, “for misconduct in relation to crowd control”.
A statement from the FA said: “It’s alleged the club failed to ensure that its spectators and or supporters (and anyone purporting to be supporters or followers) conduct themselves in an orderly fashion and don’t use words or otherwise behave in an improper, offensive, abusive, indecent, or insulting way with either an express or implied reference to sexual orientation around both the 49th and 79th minutes.”
Spurs have until next Wednesday to respond to the charge.
This is not the first time the FA have fined teams whose fans have been heard singing and chanting homophobic things, particularly the “rent boy” chant which was also said by Spurs supporters during their games.
The “rent boy” chant is also classified as a homophobic hate crime by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Kick It Out, a group aiming to eliminate discrimination within football, have regularly called for stronger action across the sport to combat homophobic and abusive language.
